"A philosophical mid-wife to a generation of younger Negro poets, writers, and artists"-- this is what Alain Locke defined as his role. Locke was born an only son in Philadelphia. He lived in Philadelphia until 1904, when he entered Harvard University. Three years later he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He then went on to Oxford University as the first black Rhodes Scholar. Locke returned to America in 1912, and moved to Howard University.

Perhaps Locke's greatest contribution was his attempt to debunk the race-based myth of the inherent intellectual, social and spiritual inferiority of blacks that was a by-product of the post-Reconstruction era. Locke focused his energies primarily in Harlem. Harlem was the largest African-American community in the world, and the first concentration in history of so many diverse elements of African-American life; many people looked to Harlem to form their perceptions and opinions of the race. Many historians call this period the Harlem Renaissance. In the same way the European Renaissance witnessed a growth in education and art, the Harlem Renaissance was revolutionary, creative and contentious. It was the first period in American history in which the African-American completely challenged the perception and condition of the African-American.

Alain Locke was considered one of "the social commentators" of the Harlem Renaissance, the preeminent critic of black literature, music, and art. According to critic Steve Watson, "his wispy figure could be seen briskly strolling through Harlem in perfectly tailored suits, with a tightly wound umbrella as his stick (and in later years as a form of protection), delivering erudite pronouncements in high pitched rapid-fire sentences." Locke saw in Harlem the most diverse representation of black culture in America. From this diversity, he foresaw a new vision proclaiming a pride in self, rooted in "closer knowledge and proper appreciation of the African arts." Locke's writings pronounced this shift in cultural awareness as the advent of the "New Negro."

Locke's chief contribution to the Harlem Renaissance was "catalyzing others and crystallizing their ideas about the New Negro." In his writings Locke proclaims to the world that they must deal with a progressive Negro. He says, "It is a social disservice to blunt the fact that the Negro of the Northern centers has reached a stage where tutelage, even of the most interested and well-intentioned sort, must give place to new relationships, where positive self-direction must be reckoned with in ever increasing measure. The American mind must reckon with a fundamentally changed Negro." In addition to his own writings, Locke edited many works including, the anthology The New Negro: An Interpretation, and Four Negro Poets, a collection of poetry and prose. By editing these works, he was able to bring together, mentor, and offer exposure to those he felt best represented the vanguard which W.E.B. Du Bois dubbed the "Talented Tenth."

Essay by Shaveda Scott of Howard University