Locke and Baldwin's Interpretation of the New Negro

   Alain Locke's interpretation of the New negro focuses primarily on the cultural transformation of black migrants that settled into cities such as Harlem. As he states in the book, there "is a fresh spiritual and cultural focusing" that cultivates "outburst of creativity" amongst a race of people that were thought to be illiterate and without essence (Locke, pp xxvii). Locke discusses how these individuals used their past experiences as a guiding force to create beauty and art through music, spoken word, dance, and writing to name a few. These individual challenged the stereotypes of blacks during this time because blacks weren't supposed to be a creative and intelligent race of people.  Locke chooses to center his interests around Harlem, which is widely thought to be the birth place of the New Negro.
   Davarian Baldwin, on the other hand, argues that Chicago is the birth place of the "REAL" New Negro, which is comprised of entrepreneurs and successful social figureheads that made the choice to create their own business and their own capital. This is a major thing during the early 1900's because many blacks during this time were dependent upon another for their income (cooks, maids, etc...). To have your own business in which you have no one to answer to but yourself was a different level of freedom that many did not have and was something to be admired.
   I believe that both Lock and Baldwin have very strong arguments and that both the artist and the entrepreneur contribute significantly to the New Negro. To be apart of either group was something to be proud of. Whether we are looking at an artist, an inventor or a business owner, a challenge to the status quo and the racial hierarchy can be found.