A Harlem Man's Wish The Harlem Renaissance was a period in our nation's history when a new kind of insurrection developed. In this era, African Americans were first considered artists, not just blacks. In the midst of all this was Claude McKay. Born and raised in the tropics of Jamaica, Claude grew up in a very welcoming society. However, upon moving to America, he experienced firsthand the harsh reality of racism. In McKay's day, people loved his poems; he was worshiped by both blacks and whites. However, his likability can be attributed to his style of poetry. His writings express a longing he feels for something that has yet to be realized. This desire is expressed in many ways, from the desire to return to Jamaica, to social reform; McKay wants something that simply isn't happening. Claude McKay was born in Jamaica in 1889. He came to the United States only in 1912, and by that time he had already published two books of poetry written in the Jamaican language. He eventually settled in New York where he became part of what is now known as the Harlem Renaissance movement, a movement that consisted of the emergence of new black cultural ideas, arts, and music. At the same time, he became involved in the white radical circles of Greenwich Village. McKay was not in Harlem for most of the 1920s, as he actually spent time in England, Soviet Russia, France, and North Africa....