The Influence of the New Negro Movement on “To A Dark Girl” Poem

During the first twenty years of the 20th century, after a wave of violence and injustice, a new cultural movement emerged in the African American community. An explosion of art and literature based on the rebirth of African American culture and the empowerment of the black community through the revival of heritage marked the era of the New Negro in the history of African American literature. The “New Negro” was now a confident individual liberated from white standards of beauty and morals. Racial pride and unity was the center topic of great talents concentrating in Harlem and creating what came to be known as the Harlem Renaissance.

While the Harlem Renaissance was at its peak, the black community was trying to break apart from historic prejudice about the black race powered by racism and slavery. The overall tendency was to move away from hurtful views of race and embrace African heritage with pride. The unearthing of African American history and re-discovery of the black community’s African roots awakened feelings of pride and liberation. Gwendolyn Bennett was one of these great exponents of African American literature. Her artistic expression was varied and included poetry, columns, essays, and even illustrations. Her poem “To a Dark Girl” is very representative of this mode of expression for racial empowerment and the overcoming of the shadow of racism and slavery in African Americans’ past. Bennett speaks of a young, beautiful black woman that represents the black community in the renaissance of its culture. It acknowledges the existence of a dark past in the black community, but wishes to inspire faith and strength in this new wave of black artists. Strong imagery, suggestive diction and shifts in tone are three tools that Bennett employs to convey her message on racial unity in this poem. Through the imagery of “To a Dark Girl,” Bennett glorifies the distinctive features of black women, which are also the same features that would have them discriminated against.

For example, “the rounded darkness of your breast” (Baym 1292), evokes the aesthetic image of dark skin in a pleasing, “rounded” shape. Similarly, “let your full lips laugh” (Baym 1293), evokes distinguishing facial features of the black race, represented in the friendly and light-hearted image of a smile. This attempts to cause a shift in female African American readers from feeling ashamed of their racial features, to feeling proud of them. The choice of diction in the poem also reveals messages to the reader connected to black pride and black history. While “ little brown girl” (Baym 1293), “wayward eyelids” (Baym 1293) and “queenliness” (Baym 1293) makes the readers think of a pretty and unconstrained yet powerful young girl, with royal origins and a deep history, “breaking sadness” (Baym 1292) and “shackled slave” (Baym 1293) acknowledges the painful past of black women. Hence, Bennett is communicating that the black community is currently young and powerful, and that its dark past must not get in the way of it growing and reaching out for a brighter future, as indicated by the phrase “laugh at fate” (Baym 1293). There is another interesting choice of words, “brownness” and “breast”, that exposes the guilt and shame carried in them as a result of the belittling of black women in the two dimensions of race and gender. Bennett twists this perception into the feelings of love and beauty towards black women. Finally, the tone of the poem contributes to Bennett’s expression of relief and melancholy about the history and fate of the black race. The words “lurks,” “shadows,” “darkness,” and “sobs” create a sad and threatening tone, which represents the dreadful past that may accompany African Americans throughout their existence despite progress and time.

However, “forgetting,” “laugh” and “I love you” lift the tone of the poem up to warmth and relief, demonstrating faith in the future of the black race. Through her use of language, Bennett achieves the dignification of the black race as a race of kings and queens. In particular, the lifting up of the female African woman could perhaps even be seen as a manifestation of Africa as a mother land. A beautiful, ancient land whose descendants act with boldness and authority. Bennett’s poetry is thought to have “quietly celebrated the physical and emotional qualities not always appreciated by blacks themselves in a time of intense segregation” (Baym 1292), in other words as previously seen inviting black women to feel proud of their black identity. This poem is a rather unique one in its context since Bennett was one of the few female writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Her dedication to black heritage, as well as African-American women rights is powerfully reflected in this work.