The Harlem Renaissance, originally called The New Negro Movement, started in Harlem, New York. It was a movement that included literature, art, music, and philosophers, which inspired a “new black cultural identity.” This movement started in the 1920s and lasted till the mid 1930s. A few African Americans who participated in the Harlem Renaissance were Bessie Smith, Langston Hughes, Aaron Douglas, W.E.B. Du Bois, and more. Literature and art portrayed the struggles that African Americans had to face. As for music, jazz was the sound of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance is important to remember because it recognized all the contributions that African Americans had to offer.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harlem-renaissance
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_harlem.html