What was the Harlem Renaissance?

The Harlem Renaissance was when African American artists, writers, and musicians based in Harlem revealed the freshness and variety of African American culture. Popularity of these artists spread to the rest of society. The Harlem Renaissance was the result of the Great Migration. The leaders were Jacob Lawrence, Langston Hughes, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong. 
I paraphrased all that from my notes in Social Studies.
Hope this helps. :)

They were constantly being overlooked as a people and were being controlled by people who weren't really native to their homeland.