The Tale of Two Nations 5

The Tale of Two Nations 5

Ethiopian and African-American Relations: A Brief Timeline
by Andrew Laurence

Harlem Renaissance

Dr. Alain Locke, the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, architect of the New Negro Movement and Howard University professor, encourages African-American artists to recognize and incorporate their African heritage within their work.

Paul Laurence Dunbar writes his poem “Ode to Ethiopia,” James Wells paints “Ethiopia at the Bar of Justice,” Meta Fuller sculpts “Ethiopia Awakening,” and Langston Hughes, called the poet laureate of Harlem, writes in Opportunity magazine “Broadcast to Ethiopia.” These are just some of the better known examples of African American artists inspired by Ethiopia.