Ebay has a classic comic book with one of the most memorable illustrations of vice and its threat to the youth of Harlem on sale for $7,500, complete with an accompanying book.
Overtown, Miami:
In 1948, Leo Hurwitz released a stunningly powerful film that examined the promises made to Black Americans and American servicemen in particular and contrasted that with their experience in this country after helping to secure victory over Japan and Nazi Germany.
The film, which is considered one of the best documentaries of the 20th century, is powerful, poignant, and heartbreaking all at the same time.
Strange Victory is the first significant anti-racist U.S. documentary film. With World War II over and Frontier Films dissolved, Leo Hurwitz and Barney Rosset (soon to form Grove Press) teamed up as Target Films to create this eloquent and powerful statement. It was to be their only collaboration. Amidst the high hopes of the post-World War II economic and baby boom, it represented a provocative questioning of the discrepancies between the ideals of the allied victory and the lingering aspects of fascism in U.S. society. In his trademark style, Hurwitz juxtaposes archival scenes of the war’s destruction with newly shot sequences, both actuality and reenacted. It asks the question, “Why are the ideas of loser still alive in the land of the winner?”
As seen in Harlem (West 117th Street)
This image from the 1930’s from a high vantage point (likely from the towering 555 Edgecombe Avenue), shows Harlem in the foreground and The Bronx in the background.
What is now Jackie Robinson Park is immediately below (in the foreground) and you can see the distinctive kiosk shown in another 1930’s photo and from Google Streetview:
Note how the 1930s streetscape north of 152nd Street (up to 153rd Street) is fully intact. It also appears as if the vacant lot on the south-east corner of the block has been vacant for almost 100 years.
CBS has the story from Governor Hochul’s inauguration on how a 9-year-old from Harlem came to be her poet laureate:
“I was outside the Apollo Theater, it was Amateur Night,” Hochul recalled at the beginning of her speech Sunday. “And there’s a long line around the block, and I saw this young man standing there. I said, ‘You’re going in to watch somebody?’ He goes, ‘No, I’m a poet. I’m going to go recite.'”
“I was excited,” Hern remembered feeling. “Yeah, because at the Apollo, I just wanted to take a picture with her. And then she asked me, what do I do? And I said, I draw. I also write poems.”
Hern did not throw away his shot, performing his way straight to the top.
“I figured he’d whip out a piece of paper and read it to me,” Hochul continued. “He had memorized it … I stood there on the spot and I said, ‘If I win this election, you are my Poet Laureate and I want you here.'”
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-poet-laureate-kayden-hern-harlem/
Here is your chance to have your say on what the future of Mart 125 should be:
https://nycedc.formstack.com/forms/mart125
Sometimes the trash on the street catches your eye. This was seen blowing on the street last week
On Frederick Douglass Blvd. near West 138th Street is a historical marker for Jacques d’Amboise.
Jacques d’Amboise was a ballet dancer, choreographer, actor, and educator. He joined the New York City Ballet in 1949 and was named principal dancer in 1953, and later choreographed over 15 ballets for them over his career. He most famously appeared in the films Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Carousel.
As an educator, D’Amboise founded the National Dance Institute in 1976 and in 1990 received the MacArthur Fellowship. He received Kennedy Center Honors in 1995, and the National Medal of Arts in 1998.
As part of the Park Avenue Viaduct project, the MTA will be incorporating a commissioned permanent site-specific piece of artwork at East 116th Street. MTA Arts & Design has put out an open call for artist submissions, open through the end of January.
You can learn more about this opportunity, including selection criteria, funding available, and how to submit, on the MTA website here.
Below is the artwork at 125th and Park Avenue:
Ever wondered what that tree is in front of your apartment? NYC’s Department of Parks has a new, interactive map of NYC’s trees, and you can explore the arboreal side of your neighborhood.
The color coding of dots (trees) above, show different varieties. You can, of course, zoom in more and even select on the basis of tree variety or size (as denoted by trunk diameter):
Looking at a random tree on West 124th Street (across from Marcus Garvey Park), the map brings up that it’s a Thornless honeylocust and has a trunk diameter of 15″:
To explore on your own, try this link:
https://tree-map.nycgovparks.org/tree-map/tree/2151366
On East 116th Street. Sadly, closed.
| Free Generational Workshop from the Blacklining Foundation. Learn more about creating generational wealthLife Insurance, Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, and more! |
Perhaps it’s not technically a glacier, and it was spotted earlier, during that cold snap, but the sight of the park weeping water and freezing into an ice waterfall is fascinating.
Fordham University’s radio station (back in August) had a segment on Harlem in song to celebrate Harlem Week 2022 and played these tracks:
As is often the case, the comments section of the post of WFUV is rich in suggestions and old favorites.
“The Joint is Jumpin’” – Fats Waller
“It’s Christmas Time in Harlem” – Louis Armstrong
The Last Poets – On The Subway
Harlem River Blues, Justin Townes Earle
Harlem Shuffle, Bob & Earl, or Rolling Stones
Spanish Harlem, Mamas and Papas version
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Elton John
Bill Withers – Summer Night in Harlem
Luther Vandross – Nights In Harlem
Can Calloway – The Man from Harlem
Harlem’s Little Blackbird” – Kaia Kater
Joe Lewis Walker “Uptown To Harlem”
Sarah Vaughn “Stompin’ At The Savoy”
Touch & Go “Tango In Harlem”
Tim Curry “Harlem On My Mind”
The Drifters “Up In The Streets Of Harlem”
Beck “Waiting For The Man”
Nat King Cole “Harlem Blues”
“Angel of Harlem” – U2
Make sure to click on the link below and see if your favorite was suggested by listeners.
https://wfuv.org/content/harlem-song
A new effort to help more people of color in New York City become homeowners is launching today with the support of a $7.5 million grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation. The grant was awarded to a new collaborative led by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) NY, in partnership with the Center for NYC Neighborhoods and Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City (NHSNYC).
The donation comes from Wells Fargo’s Wealth Opportunity Restored Through Homeownership (WORTH) initiative, a $60 million national effort to address systemic barriers to homeownership for people of color. New York City is one of eight markets across the U.S. to receive a WORTH grant, which aims to help create 5,000 new homeowners of color across the city by the end of 2025.
The announcement took place during NHSNYC’s Homeownership Expo at the TWU Counseling Center, where participants learned about the homeownership process, how to find and secure mortgages, and how to navigate down payments and closing costs.
“As a company, we’re committed to creating opportunities for more people of color to buy their own homes,” said Otis Rolley, president of the Wells Fargo Foundation and head of Philanthropy and Community Impact. “We know that without deliberate interventions from the public and private sectors, there is risk that the racial homeownership gap will continue to grow. Today’s donation in New York City is about accelerating actions that will build homeownership, and in turn, generational wealth.”
A History of the Churches of All Denominations in the City of New York (1846) has some interesting information about the early history of faith-based organizations in Harlem.
The oldest church identified as being in Harlem is the Dutch Reformed Church, from 1686 with 126 members:
The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is noted as starting in 1796, and then in 1843 established “Little Zion” a branch in Harlem – predating most estimations as to when a Black presence in Harlem had grown to a significant size:
And, to conclude:
A benefit exhibit for City College Center for the Arts’ youth programs, this sophomore installment of “100 Years of Harlem” continues the centennial celebration of Harlem’s galvanizing, glorious past while emphasizing Harlem as a muse and teacher across space and time.
“100 Years of Harlem: Resonating Around the World” was first introduced in an exhibition and silent auction to benefit City College Center for the Arts held at CHRISTIE’S New York from March 26 – April 4, 2022. Curated by irwin House Gallery Director, Omo Misha, on behalf of an esteemed curatorial team including Kim Wales and Gregory Shanck, the primary exhibit included thirty works of art celebrating Harlem as teacher and muse for diverse artists across time and featured twenty-four visual artists from Harlem and across the country. The CHRISTIE’S x CCCA collaboration was an outgrowth of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program – a program that aims to preserve, protect and promote art in our communities while managing the cultural, economic and environmental impact of Christie’s activities. For CHRISTIE’S, the experience brought forth a lively discourse with local, living talent and a lasting partnership with one of Harlem’s leading cultural institutions. For the artists and audience, the auction house installation and gala proved grand and incomparable, netting support for CCCA’s Youth Empowerment Program through art sales and both private and corporate donations.
Brought to CCCA’s Aaron Davis Hall, this iteration of 100 Years extends the life and scope of the exhibition and continues the celebration of Harlem, its glorious past and culturally-rich present. The exhibition includes a portion of the work exhibited at CHRISTIE’S along with new selections and artists reflecting and sharing an affinity for Harlem.
Escaping the harsh realities of the Jim Crow South, Black Americans found their way to Harlem more than any other location during the early twentieth century, resulting in the largest concentration of African descendants outside of Africa, and creating a social climate for one of the most prolific eras in the history of the arts and letters – the Harlem Renaissance. Through visual, literary and performative expressions of lived experiences, beauty and pain, an aesthetic emerged that came to identify Black America. An unprecedented artistic freedom flourished and became a resonant elixir to the creative world.
This exhibition pays homage to the Harlem Renaissance with recognition that the enclave’s cultural grind has been a continuum – from the 1920s to present day. The banners of Harlem legends still fly, and the pioneering stanzas of Langston Hughes’ poems, Aaron Douglass’ palette, and Duke Ellington’s top hat and riffs will always be felt within the cracks of our sidewalks and Pre-War facades. But, as we celebrate this galvanizing, glorious past we also hope to communicate that The Renaissance was not a finite era that met a determinate end. While the landscape has ebbed, flowed and even lost its luster at times, the collective, creative spirit of Harlem has never waned. Each of us, represented in this exhibit, are links in a chain of prodigious creators, flowing through and bathed in the nurturing spirit of Harlem.
Featured Artists: ANTON, Carl Karni-Bain (aka BAI), Charly Palmer, Danny Simmons, D. H. Caranda Martin, Donovan Nelson, Faith Ringgold, Francks Deceus, James Denmark, Jody Rasch, Julio Leitão, Julio Mejia, Lisa Ingram, Lola Flash, Mira Gandy, Noreen Dean Dresser, Uday Dhar, Terrell Anglin, Tomo Mori, YUKAKO.
Harlem’s Mart 125: the American Dream is a documentary film about the history of Mart 125 on 125th Street and how it has served as a physical and imagined embodiment of Black commerce in the face of commercial, cultural, and political change in the heart of Harlem.
View the video with the link, below:
Also make sure to check out GothamtoGo’s blog post on the revitalization of Mart 125:
As seen in Harlem.
