Let the blare of Negro jazz bands and the bellowing voice of Bessie Smith singing Blues penetrate the closed ears of the colored near intellectual until they listen and perhaps understand. Let Paul Robeson singing “Water Boy,” and Rudolph Fisher writing about the streets of Harlem, and Jean Toomer holding the heart of Georgia in his hands, and Aaron Douglas drawing strange black fantasies cause the smug Negro middle class to turn from their white, respectable, ordinary books and papers to catch a glimmer of their own beauty.

According to this excerpt, why is it important that the “near intellectuals” expose themselves to Bessie Smith, Paul Robeson, and other African American artists?
to help these musicians and writers become more successful
to better understand and appreciate their heritage
to learn more about key individuals in mainstream culture
to create music and writing that reflects their ancestors’ beliefs