Harlem Nocturne: Women Artists and Progressive Politics During World War II

Many readers are likely to be unfamiliar with Pearl Primus (1919–94), Ann Petry (1908–97), and Mary Lou Williams (1910–81). Yet as World War II raged overseas, these three African American artists were mothers of social change in the United States. All three came to Harlem in the 1940s with the intent of pursuing their dreams—for Primus, dance; for Petry, authorship; and for Williams, jazz composition and performance. In turn Harlem shaped them and their ambitions. Griffin (English, comparative literature, & African American studies, Columbia Univ.) has done her research, and it shows as she demonstrates how these women's passion for their crafts became a passion, as well, for creating social change and promoting democracy in America. These artists produced cathartic work that compelled others, who might otherwise have remained oblivious to their progressive messages, to listen to and witness not just their art but their activism.