The Harlem Renaissance was an unprecedented flourishing of African-American culture and creativity in 1920s New York. It fostered a newfound sense of Black pride and identity, which extended far beyond the confines of Harlem.

At a time when homosexuality was illegal in the United States, LGBTQ+ artist and pioneer Gladys Bentley broke all the rules to become one of the wealthiest Black performers of her time.

Novels like Passing by Nella Larsen, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and the poetry of Langston Hughes were all written during this period and have become important pieces of the American literary canon. Still, when...