Historically, there are few cultural spaces and urban neighborhoods that capture the vibrant aspirations and broken dreams of Black America more than Harlem. This neighborhood in Upper Manhattan became the most celebrated focal point and destination for the throngs of African Americans who sought to escape the Jim Crow South in the first half of the 20th century. A melting pot of the Black experience, Harlem attracted scores of creatives who used their pens, instruments, and bodies to reinterpret the day to day joys and struggles of Black life.

This roundtable will discuss the myriad of ways that Black masculinity took shape and form in the creative energies that emanated from this Black Mecca. From Countee Cullen, to Alvin Ailey, to hip hop artist Cam'Ron, Harlem has produced Black male identities and personas that have complicated our understanding of how these masculinities have taken center stage in America's most famous Black neighborhood and beyond. The panel brings together some of the nations leading culture critics, thought leaders, and scholars to illustrate the synergy that expands across the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and Hip Hop and how Black masculinities have evolved at the crossroads of all three.