If Beale Street Could Talk

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider what you know about the Harlem Renaissance. In what city did this movement take place? Who were some of the influential figures involved in the Harlem Renaissance? What were the causes and some of the effects of this movement?

Teaching Suggestion: Named for the Harlem area of Manhattan where there was an existing community of African Americans, the Harlem Renaissance was an important foundation for African American artistic, cultural, and philosophical expression that would ultimately shape future African American social movements, including the civil rights movement (please see Question 2 below). The Great Migration of African Americans from the southern to northern US states during the 1910s was an important catalyst to the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. Notable artists from the Harlem Renaissance include Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, James VanDerZee, Dorothy West, and Aaron Douglas. This question connects with the themes of African American Music as a Representation of African American Culture and Identity and The Black Arts Movement.

• This article provides a general overview of the Harlem Renaissance.
• The National Museum of African American History & Culture discusses the link between the Harlem Renaissance and the “New African American Identity.”

2. Compare and contrast the civil rights and the Black Power movements in the US. Who were some of the notable leaders? What were the similarities and differences in beliefs, approaches, and goals? What were the lasting legacies of each movement in the US?

Teaching Suggestion: While the Harlem Renaissance helped to lay the foundations for the civil rights and Black Power movements, these movements in turn influenced the development of The Black Arts Movement from 1965 to 1975. These two political movements represent different approaches to the concept of African American political and social liberation. While both movements were bonded in their fights against racism, the civil rights movement was characterized by non-violent forms of resistance, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as a notable leader of this resistance. Conversely, the Black Power movement believed in a more radical form of resistance, with leaders such as Malcolm X espousing the importance of self-defense using more militant techniques.

• This article compares the civil rights movement to the Black Power movement, highlighting notable events during the mid-20th century.
• The African American Registry discusses the roots of The Black Arts Movement from the anti-racist political movements in this article.

Short Activity

Research The Black Arts Movement and select one notable contributor to share with the class. In your mini presentation, share the following information: What was this person’s background? What did this person’s writings center on? How did this person contribute to the movement as a whole?

Teaching Suggestion: Baldwin’s novel is an example of literature produced during The Black Arts Movement, from 1965-1975. This Short Activity is an opportunity for students to both explore the artists related to the movement and share this person’s work with the class. While the first resource below provides general information regarding the movement, the second link is an academic reference centered on the discussion of sexual politics within Baldwin’s novel. Consider accessing and/or sharing these or similar resources with students to help inform this work.

• Poetry Foundation’s article highlights both important information as well as many of the artists related to The Black Arts Movement.
• For the instructor, Yeboah’s “Why the West Could Not Hear Beale Street: Baldwin’s World-Sense of Female Sexuality” is a scholarly analysis of Baldwin’s novel within the context of Black sexual politics. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing)

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners, students who may benefit from a more structured or visual approach, and students with executive function differences, consider having students organize their research into a 3-column chart with “Background,” “Writings,” and “Contributions” as the headers. Also consider allowing students to collaborate in small groups to either initiate (brainstorm), complete parts of (one person each in a three-person group researches one of the three headers; then, the group pools their findings), or accomplish this task together from start to finish.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Describe a notable street or neighborhood in your past. How did your abode look? Did you have any neighbors? If so, what were they like? Was there an atmosphere in the air on certain days? In your answer, use vivid imagery to be as descriptive as possible.

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt relates to the vivid imagery Baldwin incorporates into the descriptions of the neighborhoods in New York. Such descriptions are essential to invoking the sense of community in his novel and demonstrating the importance of familial support as it relates to the theme of The Nature of Black Love. Consider encouraging students to attend to the imagery in the novel especially as it relates to community support.

Differentiation Suggestion: To encourage student agency and for students with artistic interests, consider allowing students to create a visual representation of their street, neighborhood, or house; these students may provide their descriptions (atmosphere, neighbors, etc.) aloud when they present their artwork to the class, for example. For students with musical interests and/or intelligences, consider allowing them to find and share a song that represents the atmosphere of their neighborhood or street, explaining to the class how it is representative. Students may also use photography or videography as creative ways to capture and describe this sense of place.