The Urban Setting Summary

Alain Locke, in "The New Negro," suggests that the "old Negro" is really nothing more than a myth or an ideal. He talks about the fact that there are aspects of Negro culture - such as the spiritual - that were beaten down but were accepted when finally allowed to emerge. Locke then takes a look at some trends, including the tendency toward moving "city-ward," and says these are not because of poor or even violent conditions in the south nor of the industry in the north. Instead, he attributes this migration to "a new vision of opportunity." Locke then points out that the Negro is willing to work for better conditions and that this migration is not only toward the city and away from the country life, but also away from the old ways and toward the new...