THE VIRTUAL HARLEM PROJECT (VHp) is a collaborative learning network whose purpose is to study the Harlem Renaissance, an important period in African American literary history, through the construction of a virtual reality scenario that represents Harlem, New York, as it existed between the 1920-30s. Virtual Harlem is a learning environment in which students studying the Harlem Renaissance can experience the historical context of its literature.The project was originally conceived in 1998 by Bryan Carter at Central Missouri State University and the first prototype was initiated in collaboration with Bill Plummer at the Advanced Technology Center at the University of Missouri

In August of 1999, the University of Illinois at Chicago contributed to the VHp by translating the Harlem experience to a fully immersive environment- the CAVE. Since then Virtual Harlem has been an experimental testbed for a diverse group of educators and researchers