Harlem Renaissance Research Paper

Words: 3194
Pages: 13

It was March 19th around 2:30 pm, Lino Rivera, a 16-year-old black Puerto Rican boy walked into the Kress Five and Ten store on 125th street in Harlem. Lino was apparently shopping in the store and then put a 10-cent penknife in his pocket. An employee that worked at the store confronted Lino and told him he would “beat the hell out of him”. The boy bit the employee’s hand to run and escape, the manager noticed and called the authorities. During the altercation, there was a woman standing outside the store. She witnessed the entire incident unravel and at the end began screaming that the boy was beaten. While waiting for the authorities to come, people had already begun to notice and crowd up in front of the store. The authorities arrived, …show more content…
During the Renaissance, Harlem was booming and thriving in so many ways. It was the cultural epicenter for African Americans. It was the place where all poets, singers, activists, actors, intellectuals, and entertainers were and wanted to be. Places like the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club became popular venues in the neighborhood where people would come from all over to watch performances. However, as the economy started to worsen because of the Great Depression of all these things changed. Many Hispanics and African Americans were flocking to Harlem because of its low rents. This resulted in overpopulation in very tight and small quarters. To add to that, these same people living in Harlem were having trouble finding jobs in their own community, where employers were only hiring white workers. At the same time, police were seen as enemies who seemed only to protect the whites. This riot did not happen because of a false rumor Lino Rivera stealing a 10-cent pocketknife. The residents of Harlem were tired of being oppressed, unemployed, discriminated against, and living in slum conditions. With all these factors going on, the riot of 1935 was bound to happen. The incident that occurred at the Krauss Store was just a fuse that set off a ticking time bomb. This paper will discuss the underlying causes behind the Harlem Race Riot of