Welcome to Harlem’s Newsletter
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Black Nuns
The West 124th Street home of The Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, one of three orders of mostly black nuns in the country, still partly remains – despite partial demolition. The Handmaids are now over 100 years old, and had occupied this partly demolished site since 1944 before selling it 5 years…
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Clean-Up With Congressman Espaillat
Late-breaking news is that Congressman Adriano Espaillat will also be joining the clean-up at Park/125. Here’s your chance to have one-on-one time with a number of your electeds — to both give feedback and ask questions. If you have something to say or ask, here’s your chance. We’ll meet up under the tracks at 125th & Park,…
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Harlem Renaissance Banner 2.0
The Gatekeepers Collective (TGC), with West Harlem Development Corp and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council are launching HARLEM RENAISSANCE 2.0, honoring the Centennial of the Harlem Renaissance and SGLBTQ (same gender loving (SGL), gay, lesbian, bisexual, Transgender, Queer) S/Heroes: a public art and performance initiative including a series of Banners along West 125thSt. celebrating SGLBTQ…
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Uptown Grand Central
Wanna talk trash with us? The NYC Department of Sanitation will roll with resources for a community cleanup this Saturday, July 30, from 12-2 p.m. DSNY will bring their van full of brooms, trashcans and trash-pickers — and we’ll have the chance to not only pitch in, but talk trashcans and basket collection with Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. Plus learn about needle pickup & the…
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Fire Watchtower
This view of the historic Marcus Garvey Park’s fire watchtower by Robert Bracklow shows a bucholic scene of children and adults (no women) relaxing on the extremely well maintained acropolis: The photo is undated, but assumed to be taken sometime between 1890 and 1910. Note how the watchtower has glass windows, curtains, and is in…
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Post-War Clerical Labor
At the turn of the century, clerical labor in New York was almost exclusively male, native-born, and white. As the size of corporations increased in the 1920s and 30s, stenographers were increasingly in demand and this niche was filled by white, native-born women. When WWII ended, women occupied almost all clerical positions, but a large…
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Infrastructure
The City has a great article on how we can, as citizens, report what looks like a piece of infrastructure that is rusting, decaying, falling apart, whatever. The trick is knowing who’s the right person to call, and where can you report your concern? When reporting on a crumbling part of the subway, a road,…
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Learn How To Tune-Up And Fix Your Bike
Bike Repair, Maintenance and WorkshopsSaturdays, July 30 / 11AM – 3PMJoin us for an outdoor Bike Repair and Maintenance led with Frank from Bronx Messenger and Uptown & Boogie Bicycle Advocacy.Bring your own bike [BYOB] – ask local bike mechanics and enthusiasts from Upper Manhattan and The Bronx, questions about commuting in the city, discuss biking with kids,…
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Sarah Collins Rudolph Visited The East Harlem School Named After Her Murdered Sister
Sarah Collins Rudolph narrowly escaped death in 1963 when the KKK bombed a church in Alabama, killing four little girls — one of them her sister, Addie May Collins. Ms. Rudolf came to East Harlem to visit a school named for her 14-year-old sister and to meet with Mayor Adams. Rudolph recalled her own brush…
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In The Street
If you haven’t watched this short film (black and white, shot on 16mm film stock in 1948) you should, just to get a sense of East Harlem in the immediate post-war era. Puerto Ricans and Italians make up the majority of the people (often children) filmed via small, hidden 16 mm film cameras. This unique…
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The World Beneath Your Feet
311 is an amazing resource. One of the unheralded things it can address is if a manhole isn’t well seated, and makes a characteristic Clang-Clang as cars drive over it. If you live on a block plagued by this sound and want it to stop, 311 is your resource. Utility companies and government agencies have…
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Cooling Centers
NYC’s heat index is going to hit 100 degrees for the next few days and the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory. The city opened hundreds of cooling centers across the five boroughs yesterday. Use this interactive map to locate an air-conditioned public facility near you. The map also tells you which ones…
