Artistic vs Entrepreneurial

During the Great Migration many African Americans moved North and West in search of a new start, in search of financial stability and a better way of life. During the start of the Jazz movement which was centered in New Orleans and once Storyville closed many Musicians set out North to Chicago for work in the factories and in search of joining a new band. With that said the difference between Locke’s “New Negro” and Baldwin’s “Chicago New Negro” is the distinctions between the Artistic New Negro (Locke) and the Entrepreneurial New Negro (Baldwin).  With the Press being predominately centered in Harlem Locke focus was on the Artistic side of the New Negro, in such artist as Langston Hughes and Claude McKay. For the first time African Americans were getting the recognition they so deserved and for the first time their struggles and insight was written from their own words and account. However Baldwin opens with Jack Johnson and Madame CJ Walker to show that African Americans or the “New Negro” Can succeed and compete with White Americans. By using CJ Walker for the first time this notion of Black Beauty and self appreciation was addressed in the Black Community. More importantly by using Johnson and Walker this was the first time that African Americans were in many ways on the same page as Whites. They had the money and the means, and in comparison to Johnson to White men he showed that Blacks were not inferior to Whites, and that a Black man can have the same if not more money then a White man and that the luxuries such as cars, women and prestige could be matched by an African American.

In comparison I feel as though Locke and Baldwin’s interpretation of the New Negro when compared gives insight of Black success and that African American where making advancements as Artists as well  as Entrepreneurs.  

Black Studies Self Assessment

When I entered UCSB I entered as Biochemistry major. During my first quarter I set out to tackle as many classes that would fulfill GE requirements, with that said one of the first black studies classes I took was Black studies 3Intro to African studies with Akudinobi. I had not realized until recently that Black studies 3 Intro to African studies was the perfect introductory class for me, as I was not knowledgeable on my African ancestry, this course got me to think outside the box as to how Africans and African Americans were views in the media and across regions, I also learned about many significant African achievements. However during my sophomore year I changed my major to Cultural Anthropology and still found time to take black studies class but still mainly for the sole purpose of fulfilling GE requirements, I took Black studies 7 Intro Caribbean Studies, 38B Intro African American Literature, 127 Black Women Writers and Black studies 170 African American Cinema. At the end of my Junior year I found myself finished with my GE’s as well as my requirements for my Anthropology major and Education minor, with that said I found myself needing units to graduate and with me having some units in Black studies I decided to pick up the Black Studies major and took Black studies 14 History of Jazz, 104 Black Marxism, 128 Black Experience in Southern California, 129 Urban Dilemma, 137E Soc Black Experience and Black studies 153 Black Pop Music. As someone who was born and raised in the Inner-city of Los Angeles (Watts), Black studies 128 and 129 proved to be very beneficial to my understanding of the maturation of the urban ghetto as well as the origin of many of the social imbalances within the inner-city. Now in my last quarter I’m taking Black studies 1 Intro African American studies and 190 Senior Seminar, Throughout my studies at UCSB I found it very beneficial to be knowledgeable on another culture beside the U.S, and as a future Educational provider I feel that I am in a better position to connect with my students, who will be from different backgrounds and ethnicities which my Degree in Cultural Anthropology, Black Studies and Education will aid in my professional success.