In March 1925, Alain Locke edited “Harlem: Mecca of the New Negro,” a special issue of the journal Survey Graphic. In addition to work by a number of prominent African American writers, the issue contained his own essay “Enter the New Negro,” which highlighted the social, cultural, and artistic growth of African Americans, urged black artists and writers to look to African and African American history for inspiration, and expressed his belief that art and literature could break down racial barriers. Locke was eminently qualified to speak to this subject. He was America’s first black Rhodes Scholar and later earned a PhD in philosophy from Harvard University. In 1925 Locke was early in a long and distinguished career as a professor at Howard University, and he would go on to write several highly regarded books and scholarly articles about African American culture and art. He was one of the leading figures in the Harlem Renaissance, the term given to the flourishing of African American culture in the 1920s and 1930s, much of it centered in the Harlem district of Manhattan in New York City—and, in fact, he is often referred to as the “Father of the Harlem Renaissance.” His passion and profound intellect contributed significantly to the vitality of the movement.