Category: Culture
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Languages in New York
A great map of the languages spoken in NYC: Drilling down into the linguistic mosaic of Harlem and East Harlem you can see the complex, vibrant culture of Harlem immigrants – everything from lesser-known languages spoken by close-knit communities like Akan – an African language spoken by Ghanaian and Ivorian immigrants, to large linguistic groups…
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Blues Singer
This photo from 1958 of “Sticks McGhee” ( a Blues Guitarist) was only described as being taken in Harlem NYC: What struck me was that the foreground figure had space. Space between the building where the photographer was, and the subject. Most Harlem streets have stoop stairs ending right at the property line, with no…
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Exhibit At The Africa Center
Reframing NeglectOn view from August 5, 2023 through September 3, 2023 The Africa Center at Aliko Dangote Hall (map)1280 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10029 Thursday – Sunday | 11AM to 6PMFree and open to the public; No prior registration required In partnership with The END Fund, through the support of Reaching the Last Mile, we are…
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Art In The Park
Guns down! Brushes up! Get involved with arts and crafts and stand for nonviolence in Harlem. Come take part in the annual Art in the Park Inc. Back to Beautiful Community Block Party to combat gun violence and experience the arts and tons of resources. The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 26 from 12 noon to 6…
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Urban Garden Center’s Storage Area
If you recall the fire under the Metro North tracks at 118th Street a few years back, the fire was the result of material that the Urban Garden Center had been storing under the tracks, between 117 and 118th Streets. This photo shows the storage of everything from concrete block, to pallets, to soil, to…
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50
Hip Hop turns 50, today. August 11, 1973 is the birthdate of hip-hop. It was the date DJ Kool Herc – Clive Campbell – deejayed a “Back to School Jam” in the recreation room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, introducing a culture that was coming together in Black and Latino neighborhoods throughout New…
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Eve Arnold
Eve Arnold, a celebrated fashion photographer, is perhaps best known for her portraits of a nude Marilyn Monroe. Arnold should also be celebrated for the strikingly contemporary portfolio of work she produced in 1950 – the Harlem series. The photos of Black fashion shows caused a sensation. They led to an invitation for Arnold to…
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A Great Day
The 1958 Esquire Magazine photo that started it all: And with the rise of Hip Hop, XXL Magazine (in 1998) did this riff with Gordon Parks as the photographer: Unfortunately, an ill-timed shadow marred the photo. However, fewer people know that Gordon Parks’ also paid homage to the Art Kane 1958 original in 1995. Parks…
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Cultural Events at Marcus Garvey Park
FINAL 2023 Summer Reading Circle on Tuesday, August 8 at 11:00 AM at the Sankofa PavilionPlease join The Marcus Garvey Park Alliance for great read aloud and fun literacy activities for school-aged children! We meet at the Sankofa Pavilion located east of the 124th Street & 5th Avenue entrance to the Marcus Garvey Park. Bring…
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Black to the Future
All welcome to AFRIBEMBE’s festival of music, food, art, and more. Come out to see Afrofuturism through a global Diasporic lens. AFRIBEMBÉ’s featured artists and DJ lineup will utilize global Diasporic rhythms and sounds to move festival goers through statements of Black identity, agency and freedom. Through immersive artivism experiences in the Family Village, traditional and innovative flavors…
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More Art in Marcus Garvey Park
Join us for an exciting community celebration on August 11th as we unveil the captivating 2nd round of art installations in Sankofa! Your presence would make it even more special! Still Protecting Harlem, Nearly a Century Later This hydrant in East Harlem is dated 1926. For almost 100 years it’s been witness to a lot,…
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Man Arrested for Belonging to the Harlem Club
By the Gestapo Wolfgang Lauinger was persecuted by the Nazis for three reasons. He was gay, the son of a Jewish father, and a “swing kid.” Being a swing kid meant Lauinger (pictured above on a moped) was fascinated by, and actively enjoyed swing music by American artists like Tommy Dorsey. Lauinger belonged to a…
