Voices from the Harlem RenaissanceThe Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s symbolized black liberation and sophistication the final shaking off of slavery, in the mind, spirit, and character of African Americans. It was a period when the African American came of age, with the clearest expression of this transformation visible in the remarkable outpouring of literature, art, and music. In these years the New Negro was born, as seen in the shift of black leadership from Booker T. Washington