2nd-1930s+Status+of+African+Americans

​​​**In the 1930s, nationwide schools were racially segregated. Segregation was the law in many places, but mostly in the south. Most of the African Americans were the poorest in their communities and their neighborhood schools had lack the power to get better funding for schools, the teacher salaries and maintenance because they were not represented enough by the school boards. The average amount of money spent individually on white children was eighty dollars; but for the African American students the average was fifteen dollars per student. In all nationality, there were more than 25 percent of all the students were black, but they only received about 12 percent of all education incomes and only 3 percent went to the school transportation. Many of the white Americans plus many of the professional educators had embraced an ideology of Anglo-Saxon racial.**

Harlem Renaissance Blacks during 1914-1918 traveled north. They had a aspirations of making a better life for themselves, so they ran away from the racist South. Harlem was best opportune place to live. During this period of transition, Harlem became a sophisticated artistic and literary center. W.E.B. Dubois, a famous black activist, promoted racial pride among African American artists and writers. These artists and writers, living in Harlem, began producing fantastic original pieces about African American life. This new subject was a fresh and loud statement that attracted many white readers and publishers.

An example of the new artistry from the Harlem Renaissance is the singing of "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday:

Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves Blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees Pastoral scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth The scent of magnolia sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck for the rain to gather for the wind to suck for the sun to rot for the tree to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop Composed by Abel Meeropol (aka Lewis Allan) Originally sung by: Billie Holiday