During the Harlem Renaissance, one of the main controversies was that African American culture became the "vogue" of the day.
This included interest not only in black writing and art, but in the rising jazz and theatre scenes as well.
Because it was so popular, many white people attempted to infuse their own art with the new African American styles, resulting in hybrid music and theatre (for example, a swing version of The Mikado, a comic opera).
This is reflected in his use of an experimental form for his poem; there is a lack of rhyme scheme and no discernible rhythm to the lines.
The final lines of the poem reflect the idea that for a truly African American culture to persist, it would have to be founded from within its own community: But someday somebody'll Stand up and talk about me, And write about me- Black and beautiful- And sing about me, And put on plays about me!