Welcome to the Renaissance: the strength and racial uplift of Black women's literary and artistic voice from 1900 to present

From emancipation to liberation, the Black woman’s voice has been portrayed through mediums that specifically highlight the trauma she has faced. Though she is resilient, decades of Black women’s literary voices demonstrate a common theme of strength through adversity. These stories, portrayed by the Black woman herself, created a trope of the Strong Black Woman (SBW). These narratives and allow readers to reflect on their biases and stigma of Blackness, while also reinforcing the prowess Black women have since their enslavement. While these narratives may have been found in periodicals like The Crisis, Black women have also created this narrative through powerful lyrics we hear on the radio today. Grammy award winning artist Beyoncé, has created music for the SBW, while positioning herself as an SBW. Such mediums often convey the message of racial uplift and female empowerment, but the stigma surrounding the strength of the Black woman has implications. These stories are necessary in empowering the uplift of Black women, but society has begun to rely heavily on their adversity. Drawing on short stories by Jessie Fauset, and the lyrical prowess of Beyoncé, this project seeks to examine the correlation between Black Literary Renaissance narratives and the omission of Black women’s American existence. As many scholars position the Black woman as lacking a space in the American social hierarchy, the voices of Black women refute this omission. Black women’s trauma, strength, and racial uplift are projected throughout periodical fiction of the 20th century to the lyrics we hear on the radio today. Black women have written and continue to write narratives that reflect a society that remains unchanging—until we can change the narrative.