Final answer:
The Harlem Renaissance influenced culture through literature that challenged racial stereotypes, music that introduced jazz to a broader audience, and visual arts that depicted African American heritage. Key figures like Langston Hughes contributed to these cultural shifts that fostered racial pride and laid the groundwork for Civil Rights activism, including progress in LGBTQ+ expression.
Step-by-step explanation:
Influences of the Harlem Renaissance on Culture
The Harlem Renaissance was not just a cultural explosion of arts in the 1920s; it was a movement that instilled racial pride and laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement. The involvement of key figures such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston helped shape African American identity away from the sterotypes of the time, influencing not only the African American community but the wider American culture as well. The introduction of jazz music, literature that presented a new narrative for Black experiences, and the visual arts all contributed significantly to this cultural renaissance.
The key aspects that had the biggest influence includes the literature, with writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston challenging racial stereotypes and expressing the life and dialect of rural and urban African Americans. Second, music, with jazz becoming a transformative genre that reshaped American music at large. Lastly, art, represented by figures like Aaron Douglas, depicted African American heritage in a manner that fostered racial pride and social consciousness. The Harlem Renaissance's influence on popular culture, identity formation, and sociopolitical activism continues to be felt today.
Moreover, the movement saw progress in discussions about Black sexuality, with prominent figures who were LGBTQ+ finding a voice and expressing themselves more freely. This aspect of the Harlem Renaissance is often less mentioned but is significant as it challenged societal norms surrounding sexuality at the time.