Alain Locke, the father of the Harlem Renaissance, published "The New Negro" in 1925. This ground-breaking anthology included the work of poets, writers, photographers and essayists. In it, he noted that there was a sense of being at the forefront of a movement that was "...rehabilitating the race in [the] world['s] esteem" after the demeaning effects of slavery. The rediscovery of self meant an end to the stereotypes invented by white culture. "The day of 'aunties,' 'uncles' and 'mammies' is equally gone. Uncle Tom and Sambo have passed on.... In the very process of being transplanted, the Negro is becoming transformed," Locke wrote. While he understood the need for acceptance from white society, he was never an apologist, and promoted the concept of racial pride.
W.E.B. Du Bois, founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was another architect of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1926, one of his essays, "Criteria of Negro Art," appeared in "The Crisis," one of the foremost publications of the renaissance. In this essay, he suggested that the artistic talent and intellect displayed by African Americans during this era would cause the white culture to acknowledge the humanity of black people; the concept of using culture to further the cause of civil rights was in agreement with the tenets of Alain Locke. To further this end, Du Bois tirelessly connected black authors with white publishers. Over the course of his life, he wrote a number of essays and books regarding race relations and education.
Principally a teacher, poet and civil rights advocate, James Weldon Johnson wrote "Harlem: The Culture Capital," which appeared in "The New Negro" anthology. In the essay, he attributed the northern migration of African Americans to the war effort and the new jobs created by the increased need for munitions. "The Negroes of Harlem, for the greater part, worked and saved their money," said Johnson. One feature of the this era was the acquisition of property, which Johnson partly accredited to Reverend W. W. Brown who encouraged his congregation at the Metropolitan Baptist Church to buy property. In large part they did, and owning property and running businesses advanced the growing black middle class.
Langston Hughes spearheaded the second wave of the Harlem Renaissance, challenging the assumptions of the previous generation. Less willing to bend to white expectations, Hughes wrote, "We younger Negro artists intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased, we are glad. If they are not, it doesn't matter." Hughes refused the restrictions of "the more advanced among his own group," preferring to tap into the black culture of the common man. In 1926, "The Nation" published "The Negro and the Racial Mountain." In it, he stated that "... in spite of the Nordicized Negro intelligentsia and the desires of some white editors we have an honest American Negro literature already with us." Unfortunately, the Great Depression and the resulting lack of funds, marked the end of the era.