Henry louis gates says that david levering lewis called the harlem renaissance “art as civil rights.” what does lewis mean and why does gates bring this up?

The reason why David Levering Lewis called the Harlem Renaissance "art as civil rights" is because the artists of the Harlem Renaissance wanted to achieve civil rights by proving their humanity through their art. The Harlem Renaissance was a primarily black movement, at a time when black people suffered great discrimination and abuses. By becoming renowned artists, black people were not only showing their unique traits and culture, but they were also proving that their talents and intellect was equal to that of any other people. In this way, they were hoping to prove that discrimination had no legitimate logical basis, and that they should be granted the same rights as white people.