Beyoncé named her 2022 album Renaissance for a reason. She knew what the word meant: a rebirth, a revival, a return to beauty and power. The breakout track, Break My Soul, gave us a whole new sound from her. But more than that, it gave us a declaration that she wasn’t just “building a new foundation,” she was letting us know: you can’t break her soul.
And that’s exactly what the Harlem Renaissance was all about!!
It was a powerful explosion of Black creativity. The most talented writers, musicians, dancers, thinkers were using their gifts to challenge the status quo. They were telling stories and building new foundations that we’re still standing on today.
But here’s the problem: Most of our kids don’t know about the original Renaissance.
They don’t know that before Beyoncé, there was Billie. And before Kendrick, there was Langston.
That’s why I’m SO proud to finally share our newest release: The ABCs of the Harlem Renaissance.
This book has been a labor of love for over two years. It’s a love letter to the visionaries who dared to make something beautiful in the face of racism, poverty, censorship, and violence. To the ones who kept creating even when the world tried to silence them.
From Billie Holiday and the legendary Apollo Theater, to Langston Hughes, rent parties, and the Great Migration, children learn about the writers, artists, musicians, and everyday people who sparked a cultural revolution
From Arturo Schomburg and Duke Ellington, to Ella Fitzgerald and Josephine Baker, we’re introducing kids to the artists and leaders who laid the foundation for every SZA, every Kehinde Wiley, every creative who’s ever used their platform to reflect Black culture and demand respect.
Inside The ABCs of the Harlem Renaissance, kids will meet:
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Musicians who birthed jazz and changed music forever
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Writers whose words still inspire and challenge us
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Visual artists who painted our truth when no one else would
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Performers who took the stage and changed entertainment
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Activists who used their art as both resistance and celebration
🎉 Available for Preorder Now
At HBCU Prep School, we're on a mission to make sure that kids doesn't have to wait until college to learn about Harlem, Hampton, and Black History. If you believe that our children deserve to know where we’ve been so they can understand where they’re going — this one’s for you.
So order copies for your classroom, cousins, and all those curiously creative kids you know.