It’s 1906 in Harlem. The first sparks of a cultural explosion have just ignited. Artists, writers, musicians, and composers are flocking to this city-in-a-city. One of them is Carl Van Vechten. Who could have predicted that the Harlem Renaissance’s greatest advocate and chronicler would be a young white man from Cedar Rapids, Iowa?
Carl Van Vechten’s passion for music and literature served him well as a critic for the New York Times. It allowed him access to the best new books and the trendiest shows. Carl soon discovered that the best new work was being created by the Black community, and the hippest place to be was Harlem. He introduced readers to songwriter W.C. Handy and the poetry of Langston Hughes.
Most nights found him prowling the Harlem cabarets, or inviting the whole troupe back to his mid-town Manhattan home. Bessie Smith was an honored guest, treating the party to thunderous performances. Throughout his life, Van Vechten remained a staunch champion of Black American culture – in his opinion, the true American culture. Said one biographer, Van Vechten was a “prophet of a new cultural sensibility and racial tolerance and dared to put the blues on a par with Beethoven.”
This episode of “Soundtrack to the Struggle” was written and produced by Ron Adkins and hosted by Hollis Monroe.
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