Alain Locke

Although the rim of societal philosophy was brimming with genius during the Harlem Renaissance, many social thinkers failed to notice the impact of their works. Without their objectives outlined whilst alive, their dreams were never realized and their works open to interpretation years later. Some promoters of the Renaissance escaped this woe that often befalls most of humanity's greats, one of which was Alain Locke. Recognized for his promotion of black art and culture, Alain Locke cemented a societal outlook slightly echoing themes of his Baha'i faith and yet ultimately geared towards the importance of racial strengths.

A tree can be traced back to its roots, and withstanding how complex and extensive a philosopher may seem, he is no different. Alain Locke possessed a very strong affection towards his cultural and biological backgrounds.

Perhaps foreshadowing the modest yet bolstering being that is Alain Locke, Alain was born on September 13th, 1886 in Philadelphia to a prominent and established family. Setting a trend unbeknownst to most African American families, his grandfather, Ismael, was a liberated African American who chose teaching as a profession. Hence, Ismael's son, Pliny, naturally became a student in the institution his father, Ismael, taught at Ð'- the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia. As for Mary Hawkins, Alain's mother, she was a descendant of Charles Shorter who was a free African American that made a tradition of education in his family. And so Mary Hawkins, also befitting to her status, became a teacher and played a crucial role in Alain's early education.

Alain, an only child, was raised in refined and educated surroundings. Disaster struck at six when his father passed away causing his mother to raise him single-handedly. Whoever said lightning never strikes the same place twice was absolutely misinformed. During the next three years, Alain was struck with rheumatic fever, restricting any rigorous physical activity and damaging his heart all at once. Karma is a double edged sword and spending time at home, on the other hand, helped culture Alain by exposing him to the piano and violin as well as an extensive nonfiction book collection.

Herein envelopes us the launch of Locke's incredible educational spree. He graduated, second in ranking, from Central High School in 1902, which he followed by studying at the Philadelphia School of Pedagogy where he was ranked first. This exceedingly impressive resume of secondary educational achievements led to his acceptance into Harvard University. Here, the likes of William James and other important American philosophers unlocked the extent of Locke's budding philosophy. Locke left Harvard's in 1907, after only three years, with its most celebrated award, the Bowdoin Prize, for an English paper. This also allowed his election into Phi Beta Kappa's trustees, a black fraternity. These accomplishments helped distinguish Locke as a remarkable man and also defined the strength of an African American educational equality movement. Segregation being at the top of black peoples' agendas, Locke became an idol for the cause and pointed out the mistakes in offering specific programs for White people over African Americans.

To continue piling the coal in his steam engine, Locke was named a Rhodes Scholar, the first African American to do so. Locke left to England in 1907 and entered Oxford University. Greek, Literae Humaniores, and philosophy were his realms, and he got a bachelor's degree in literature in 1910. Then he attended the University of Berlin in Germany to extend his studying in philosophy from 1910 to 1911. Time in Europe allowed Locke to cultivate his intellectual development in the center of Western civilization. Contemporary literature, music, art, and dance, along with the acquaintances made in these European colleges renovated his viewpoint of American values. They helped him realize the epiphany that racial discrimination, even in its most minuscule

form, was a problem existing within mankind's every nook and cranny. His solution to racial discrimination, however, proved to be discriminating itself.

Alain Locke also contributed to the Harlem Renaissance through the constant empowerment of the black arts and cultural movements. Noted for these vouches, Alain Locke played a crucial role in discovering, fostering, and publicizing the work of aspiring, young African American artists. Throughout the New Negro Movement, Locke's philosophy became a bulldozer in paving the way for the Movement's fervor and vigor.

Because of Locke's extensive experiences in teaching, he met and worked with many talented and aspiring students that led him to believe in a looming cultural awakening. In his incessant visits to Harlem, Locke sparked a movement by becoming a friend and advocator of these young artists and writers who wished to experience success and recognition. Throughout these trips, a handful of students would gain from Locke's influence; examples of such prodigies are: poets Langston Hughes (1902Ð'-1967) and Countee Cullen (1903Ð'-1946); short story writers Zora Neale Hurston (1891Ð'-1960) and Rudolph Fisher (1897Ð'-1934); novelist Jean Toomer (1894Ð'-1967); and classical singer Roland Hayes (1887Ð'-1977).

Various writers in the latter would cite Locke and his visits, indicative of their impact. Such a man was Nathan Huggins, whom in his book Harlem Renaissance states:

"Alain Locke believed that the profound changes in the American Negro had to do with the freeing of himself from the fictions of his past and the rediscovery of himself. He had to put away the protective coloring of the mimicking minstrel and find himself as he really was. And thus the new militancy was a self-assertion as well as an assertion of the validity of the raceÐ'..." [1]

The fictions of the Negro's past, in this case, would be the shackles of slavery. Only a half decade into emancipation, the bruises of the shackles are still purpled and steadying towards a yellow tint in the pulsating concept of segregation. Alain Locke wanted the African American populous to forget the past and embrace the present to build a future, one in which the Negro can rediscover his or her roots and unlock the grapples of his heritage's obstructions. Instead of going to the extreme of rediscovery by tapping the land of Africa, Locke merely administered that African Americans should shed their identities as free Americans, and instead see themselves in the light that immigrants usually defend their own values and traditions. They must once again embody their African roots and create traditions that can segregate their culture yet infuse their power with that of the whites. Huggins here also states