Florence Mills

At our January HNBA meeting, we heard from Savona Bailey-McClain about her effort to name the plaza at St. Nicholas Ave and 135th street after Florence Mills. Savona is looking for letters of support from you.

Below are the email addresses for letters of support as well as a draft letter that can be modified. Attached are documents that have links where you can hear music or information on the Harlem theaters that Florence performed in. The more letters we can send might convince the Board that Harlem residents care.
Thank you.
Savona

The Honorable Barry J. Weinberg,
Chair, Manhattan Community Board 9,
16 Old Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Honorable Barry J. Weinberg:
barryjweinberg@gmail.com
The Honorable William Castro
Manhattan Borough Commissioner
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
24 West 61st
New York, NY 10023
Honorable William Castro:
william.castro@parks.nyc.gov

The Honorable Jonathan Thomas
Chair, Parks and Landmarks Committee
Manhattan Community Board 9
16 Old Broadway
New York, NY 10027
Honorable Jonathan Thomas:
JonathanThomas.CB@gmail.com

Dear

As a member of the jazz community, I am writing in support of honoring the American singer and dancer Florence Mills by the creation of the Florence Mills Plaza in St.Nicholas Park in the vicinity of 135th Street.

Florence Mills was a star performer during the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance. She was the lead in Shuffle Along, the musical composed by Eubie Blake with lyrics by Noble Sissle and book by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles. According to the Harlem chronicler James Weldon Johnson, Shuffle Along marked a breakthrough for the African-American musical performer. The show opened in 1921 and ran for 504 performances, and was credited with inspiring the Harlem Renaissance. of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Ms. Mills danced in Plantation Revue on Broadway and then opened in London in 1923 in the show Dover Street to Dixie. In 1924 she headlined at the Palace Theater in London, the most prestigious booking in vaudeville and in 1926 opened in Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds, which ran for more than 300 performances in London.Upon her early death in 1927, more than 10,000 people visited the funeral home to pay their respects. Duke Ellington memorialized her in his composition “Black Beauty.”

Naming the Plaza in honor of Florence Mills will pay tribute to her pioneering achievements. It will insure that knowledge of this great performer and her role in the Harlem Renaissance will be highlighted and will be an inspiration to future generations.

Vigil for Yao Pan Ma

For video of the vigil for Yao Pan Ma, please see:

We were saddened to see that city council members from across the city were able to show up, and yet our city council members from East Harlem and from Central Harlem failed to appear. Please take the time to ask them why.

https://twitter.com/Kristin4Harlem

Photos from the Vigil

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12lAvNDO4cAJCyT5vKuRi54Yjx7FpeXHR


Posted