: The word is derived from the Spanish and Portuguese word for the color black , which stems from the Latin niger [25].

: A concept that emerged during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, representing a shift toward education, refinement, and racial consciousness [15]. This was later solidified by Alain Locke’s 1925 anthology, The New Negro , which served as a foundational text for the Harlem Renaissance [2].

: Figures like James Weldon Johnson argued that the "final measure" of a people's greatness was the art and literature they produced, urging Black creators to demonstrate "intellectual parity" through their work [3].