The Big Sea

     The Big Sea is an autobiography on Langston Hughes published in 1940. In it, Hughes recounts on his memorable years during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s (as well as his life in Paris where he worked in nightclubs.) One particular short story from the book that caught my attention was "When the Negro Was in Vogue." In it, Hughes discusses how despite black culture becoming mainstream and an interest of white people,  no advancements were made in tackling segregation nor equality. When talking about the famous (segregated) Cotton Club, Hughes notes it as being "a Jim Crow club for gangsters and monied whites." Hughes felt that the club had a negative effect on Harlem and compares its nature to that of a zoo in that the all black performers were the animals, and the wealthy, white-only audience were the spectators.