Final answer:
The writers in question were all part of the Harlem Renaissance, a significant African-American cultural movement that cultivated a newfound black identity and confronted racial prejudices through literature, art, and music.
Step-by-step explanation:
The connection between the writers William Faulkner, Sterling Brown, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, James Dickey, and Eudora Welty is c) They were all part of the Harlem Renaissance. This cultural movement, which began in the 1920s, was characterized by a resurgence of African-American literature, art, theater, and music.
Highlighting the works of Langston Hughes with poems such as The Negro Speaks of Rivers and I, Too, Sing America, and Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the Harlem Renaissance was pivotal in challenging the racial prejudices and fostering a new cultural identity for African Americans.
Hughes, Hurston, and Cullen were all key figures in this movement. While Faulkner and Welty were not directly involved in the Harlem Renaissance, they were active during a period of great literary activity in the South and contributed significantly to American literature with their unique storytelling and focus on Southern themes.