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The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is founded.
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James Weldon Johnson's influential novel Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is published.
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Jamaican-born Marcus Garvey arrives in Harlem and founds the United Negro Improvement Association, an organization that urges blacks to unite and form their own nation.
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The 369th Infantry Regiment, a highly decorated unit made up entirely of African American soldiers, returns from World War I to a heroes' welcome in Harlem.
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The musical revue Shuffle Along opens on Broadway, delighting audiences with its high-energy singing and dancing and, many believe, providing the spark that ignites the Harlem Renaissance.
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The National Ethiopian Art Players produce Willis Richardson's The Chip Woman, the first drama by a black playwright to appear on the Broadway stage.
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Harlem's largest and most famous cabaret, the Cotton Club, opens.
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Langston Hughes's first volume of poetry, The Weary Blues, is published.