Today, he’s a Broadway Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at his alma mater, Miami University, and a guest curator of the I, Too, Sing America: The Harlem Renaissance at 100 exhibit at the Columbus Museum of art (opens Oct. 19).

Haygood took the time to answer a few of our questions about the Harlem Renaissance and its connection to modern-day Columbus.

To start, I’d love to learn more about your connection to Columbus. To which part of the city do you feel closest? Describe why.

I was raised on the Northside of Columbus, near the OSU area. My family moved to the Eastside in 1968. My sentiments are even for both of those geographic locales of the city because I have deep memories steeped in both. And in my writing life I’ve written about both of the neighborhoods I knew in my youth.

Given your research on the Harlem Renaissance, why is it significant that this campaign is happening in Columbus, Ohio?

Anniversaries are always a good time to pay homage to something historically significant. It’s been a hundred years since the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance. A new generation needs a sharp reminder of that epochal moment in American history.

How is modern-day Columbus similar or different to Harlem during the Renaissance?

All big cities in the 20th century had pockets of black neighborhoods. Culture and music and genius grew from these neighborhoods. Columbus  – on the east side – was a microcosm of 1920s Harlem. Langston Hughes, Chester Himes, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, all Renaissance figures, passed through Columbus.

How is the Harlem Renaissance nationally relevant in this day and age?

The Renaissance was a time of high art and expressiveness in that art. But it was a cultural moment aligned with protest. In America today, we see various social movements – MeToo, Black Lives Matter – that utilize some of the same passion exhibited during the Harlem Renaissance. Movements need creative souls, and we see creative souls in many places now.

Why do you think artistic expression and exposure is important?

It is no secret why presidents and political candidates adopt songs and poems. Artistic expression becomes a universal language for so many when they are hurting or aggrieved. Art represents the best of any generation.

Tell me a bit about your latest publication, Tigerland: 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing.

TIGERLAND is a book about athletic expression. At all-black East High in the 1968-69 academic year, the basketball & baseball team both won state championships that year. It was a historic feat. And it all happened in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr’s death. They were kids, athletes, and young Renaissance men.

Wil Haygood’s Latest Book

By Hailey Stangebye

Photos courtesy of Marshall Shorts

Marshall Shorts is among the Columbus movers and shakers.

He likens this city to an open canvas — it’s a place where dedicated individuals can create tangible impacts on the community.

“Part of me feels like I can add a stroke on that canvas and become a part of building this city,” Marshall says. “Other cities might have more opportunity or, in some cases, more resources and people, but I think Columbus is exciting because it doesn’t always have that. You can get next to people and connect with people a lot easier. That’s unique.”

“Part of me feels like I can add a stroke on that canvas and become a part of building this city. Other cities might have more opportunity or, in some cases, more resources and people, but I think Columbus is exciting because it doesn’t always have that. You can get next to people and connect with people a lot easier. That’s unique.” 

Marshall is a branding creative and one of the masterminds behind Creative Control Fest, but he’s also a local artist who has dedicated countless hours to help develop the Harlem Renaissance campaign in Columbus. He even designed the Harlem Renaissance logo.

“It’s not so much the acknowledgement or the celebration of the Harlem Renaissance. I think that part tends to get romanticized. But I think, more than anything, it provides an opportunity to educate and create a platform to have a real talk about what was successful about the Harlem Renaissance and what wasn’t so successful, so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes,” Marshall says. “Where are we 100 years later? Are we still facing some of the challenges that black folk had during that time period? Are artists still facing the same challenges 100 years later?”

“Where are we 100 years later? Are we still facing some of the challenges that black folk had during that time period? Are artists still facing the same challenges 100 years later?“

According to Marshall, the campaign in Columbus parallels the historical Harlem Renaissance in more ways than one.

On one hand, there’s been more positive exposure for black artists that have done and continue to do phenomenal work in their communities.

“The works created during the Harlem Renaissance were also in reaction to one of the most violent and tumultuous times against black folk in this country — across the country. While we recognize the art that was created and we celebrate that, that art came from a place of struggle and a place of discrimination and racism and violence and a lot of things.

“I think, for us today, when we see Black Lives Matter and other social movements, the response that happens as a result through art has parallels. Black Lives Matter is in response to vigilante and state violence, amongst other things,” Marshall says.

“The works created during the Harlem Renaissance were also in reaction to one of the most violent and tumultuous times against black folk in this country — across the country. While we recognize the art that was created and we celebrate that, that art came from a place of struggle and a place of discrimination and racism and violence and a lot of things.”

While the reality of this day and age can be disheartening, Marshall remains hopeful and says that he’s already begun to see some of the impacts of the campaign. The Harlem Renaissance Experience at the August Gallery Hop is an example of that.

“On the local level, I’m hoping that black artists feel empowered and that they have a platform to keep creating,” Marshall says. “I know there has been a conversation in Columbus for a long time around access to galleries and buyers and things like that in the Short North.”

This most recent hop opened doors for local, African American artists through galleries. It also added another physical layer to the Short North through the Temporary Mural Series — one, of which, was created by Marshall.

The momentum is here.

“My biggest concern is that, when this campaign ends, that it just ends,” Marshall says. “I want it to be sustainable. I want it to last beyond just the Harlem Renaissance campaign. I want this to be a part of the fabric of this city.”

Marshall says that this kind of organic, intentional sustainability is possible. But it often comes down to a dedicated few. As he mentioned before, Columbus is a place where individual effort counts.

“If you haven’t been involved in the campaign, make something,” Marshall says. “Get involved in some kind of way. If not with the Harlem Renaissance campaign, do something or create something or connect with folks. Continue to build this community outside of the campaign.”

“If you haven’t been involved in the campaign, make something. Get involved in some kind of way. If not with the Harlem Renaissance campaign, do something or create something or connect with folks. Continue to build this community outside of the campaign.“

Marshall is a part of the Short North Mural Series. You can find his mural, I, Too, Am Columbus, at 858 N. High Street.

Marshall’s Work