<P> Many critics point out that the Harlem Renaissance could not escape its history and culture in its attempt to create a new one, or sufficiently separate from the foundational elements of White, European culture . Often Harlem intellectuals, while proclaiming a new racial consciousness, resorted to mimicry of their white counterparts by adopting their clothing, sophisticated manners and etiquette . This "mimicry" may also be called assimilation, as that is typically what minority members of any social construct must do in order to fit social norms created by that construct's majority . This could be seen as a reason that the artistic and cultural products of the Harlem Renaissance did not overcome the presence of White - American values, and did not reject these values . In this regard, the creation of the "New Negro" as the Harlem intellectuals sought, was considered a success . </P> <P> The Harlem Renaissance appealed to a mixed audience . The literature appealed to the African - American middle class and to whites . Magazines such as The Crisis, a monthly journal of the NAACP, and Opportunity, an official publication of the National Urban League, employed Harlem Renaissance writers on their editorial staffs; published poetry and short stories by black writers; and promoted African - American literature through articles, reviews, and annual literary prizes . As important as these literary outlets were, however, the Renaissance relied heavily on white publishing houses and white - owned magazines . A major accomplishment of the Renaissance was to open the door to mainstream white periodicals and publishing houses, although the relationship between the Renaissance writers and white publishers and audiences created some controversy . W.E.B. Du Bois did not oppose the relationship between black writers and white publishers, but he was critical of works such as Claude McKay's bestselling novel Home to Harlem (1928) for appealing to the "prurient demand (s)" of white readers and publishers for portrayals of black "licentiousness". Langston Hughes spoke for most of the writers and artists when he wrote in his essay "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (1926) that black artists intended to express themselves freely, no matter what the black public or white public thought . Hughes in his writings also returned to the theme of racial passing, but during the Harlem Renaissance, he began to explore the topic of homosexuality and homophobia . He began to use disruptive language in his writings . He explored this topic because it was a theme that during this time period was not discussed . </P> <P> African - American musicians and other performers also played to mixed audiences . Harlem's cabarets and clubs attracted both Harlem residents and white New Yorkers seeking out Harlem nightlife . Harlem's famous Cotton Club, where Duke Ellington performed, carried this to an extreme, by providing black entertainment for exclusively white audiences . Ultimately, the more successful black musicians and entertainers who appealed to a mainstream audience moved their performances downtown . </P> <P> Certain aspects of the Harlem Renaissance were accepted without debate, and without scrutiny . One of these was the future of the "New Negro". Artists and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance echoed American progressivism in its faith in democratic reform, in its belief in art and literature as agents of change, and in its almost uncritical belief in itself and its future . This progressivist worldview rendered Black intellectuals--just like their White counterparts--unprepared for the rude shock of the Great Depression, and the Harlem Renaissance ended abruptly because of naive assumptions about the centrality of culture, unrelated to economic and social realities . </P>

What are some themes and characteristics of the harlem renaissance