Harlem's New Negro vs. Chicago's New Negro

The first glaring difference in Chicago’s New Negro versus Alain Locke’s New Negro is how the two see the New Negro participating in the reinvention of the old to the new. Baldwin focuses on the working force and the “shift from white philanthropy to black metropolis.” He uses Jack Johnson and C.J. Walker as examples of black men and women becoming New Negroes through their acts. Jack Johnson defies the stereotypes and beats a white man in the boxing ring while C.J. Walker defies white businesses and starts a business that caters to black women. These two are examples of the New Negro that Baldwin describes but for Locke the New Negro is more artistic and focused on making contributions “in terms of artistic endowments and cultural contributions.” His description of a New Negro focuses on the product of thought and creativity more than the actions that these people take. Another difference that lies between these two are the central locations that the New Negroes inhabit. For Baldwin he sees it based in Chicago where the businesses are opening up and thriving but for Locke he sees Harlem as the “home of the Negro’s ‘Zionism.’” Locke sites the rise of black magazines and news articles as a reason along with the art and intellectual publications as a reason that Harlem is the center for the New Negro.

Although there are many differences between the two descriptions of the New Negro, there do exist some similarities. Baldwin believes that it is not only the consumer economy but also the “traditional intellectual spheres of church and academe” where conversations were started and new ideas were discussed where before they were silenced. He believes that not only were the consumer-centered ideas important but also worked alongside the artistic expressions. Locke ends his essay with the idea of a “spiritual Coming of Age.” I believe that this idea exists through both accounts of the New Negro not only in Harlem but also in Chicago. The end product becomes the same no matter what process was involved in the coming of age.