The migration of Africans to America, unlike the migration of other nations and races, was forced. In the 19th century, they were abducted from their homeland, as traders and sailors brought them to America with the intention of selling them into slavery, as cheap labor. The social status of African - Americans, after the Great Migration, experiences a turnaround. In the heart of New York, specifically in Harlem, a cultural movement is born under the name of the „Harlem Renaissance“, which will subsequently turn out to be the culmination of African - American artistic production. One of the most important and productive authors of this movement was Zora Neale Hurston, a successful anthropologist and folklorist. She included, in her literary works, the central themes of the Harlem Renaissance, such as the importance of reviving black identity, along with the inevitable theme of racism. As folklorist, she highlights the importance of black tradition and heritage, including the use of black dialects in literary works. One of the themes is gender discrimination of African - American women, and the importance of feminism in the fight against it. Zora Neale Hurston was one of the greatest African - American writers and modernist of the Harlem Renaissance.