Amherst College Event Calendar   Academic Year at a Glance

Harlem Renaissance was a formative time for African-American culture and the emergence of a prominent social scene involving literature, art, music and theater. This also marked the beginning of a racial consciousness, encouraging blacks to celebrate themselves, their history and their culture as well as educating others on these very things. This is exactly what the Harlem Renaissance event at Amherst College is intended to do. Harlem Renaissance is the biggest Black Student Union event of the year and has been so for more than 10 years. The event is composed of student performances of spoken word, jazz and vocal performances, as well as an exhibition of student art. This is intended to showcase some of our most talented students on campus, who wish to be involved in Harlem Renaissance. Harlem Renaissance also prides itself on educating the audience: we present informative displays of important Harlem Renaissance icons such as Langston Hughes, Jacob Lawrence and Billie Holiday.