A letter written to our newly elected City Council Member, Yusef Salaam: Dear Council Member Salaam, As a concerned East Harlem resident, I am deeply distressed by, and strongly oppose the plan to set aside 99 housing units at Timgale Terrace for people with severe mental health and/or addiction problems. Since Covid, officials have made…

Dear Neighbors, As you may have read, the city has begun evicting newly arrived immigrant families from local shelters. Many families have managed to secure work permits and find employment, but affordable housing remains a challenge in NYC. There are many ways that “established neighbors” can support “new neighbors.” Here are a few: A neighbor…

To learn more, click here: https://a816-dohbesp.nyc.gov/IndicatorPublic/beta/data-explorer/economic-conditions/?id=2317#display=map So, How Do Judges Get Hired, Anyway? To learn more about how judges get selected and appear on the ballot box, join this event sponsored by District Leader William Smith:

What will newly installed Council Member Yusef Salaam do? Harlem’s new Council Member faces his first decision that will directly impact the residents of his district – approving (or not) 99 supportive units for severely mentally ill and/or addicted New Yorkers in Timbale Terrace. Email Council Member Salaam Your Thoughts on this IssueTweet Council Member…

Our addiction to burning fossil fuels is heating up our city and profoundly impacting low-income communities of color. Almost any New Yorker can look at this map and see the relationship between extreme heat and communities with concentrations of low-income people: Unfortunately, as far as the heat goes, there’s more on tap in our (and…

Next HNBA Meeting – Tuesday, February 13th, 7:00 PM The Harlem Neighborhood Block Association’s February meeting will be held on Tuesday the 13th (the day before Valentine’s Day), at 7:00 PM. This meeting will be held in a new location – the MTA’s 2nd Avenue Subway Community Information Center – 69 E 125th St, New…

In a surprise move, Governor Kathy Hochul is throwing her weight behind a bold westward expansion for the Second Avenue Subway, potentially rerouting the Q train across 125th Street and into West Harlem. This plan marks a significant departure from the century-old vision of pushing the line further downtown on the East Side. Hochul’s proposal…

A wonderful view of High Bridge by Ernest Lawson in a painterly, impressionistic style. Note how the bridge at this point, retains all of its masonry arches – the masonry arches in the middle were soon removed, and a single steel arch was constructed to support the aqueduct and New York’s water, but also to…

Growing Up Black and Muslim in Harlem Comedian and actress Zainab Johnson is known for her standup comedy, which draws heavily from her experiences as a Black Muslim woman. Her new special, “Hijabs Off,” showcases her ability to find humor in even the most difficult situations. She hopes that her stories will help people to…

HNBA’s next in-person meeting will be tomorrow – Tuesday, January 9th, at 7:00 PM. We’ll meet at the Salvation Army Building: 2306 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10035 (our meeting room is on the 2nd floor – staff will guide you there). We’ll have a presentation from ConEd’s Harlem consumer representative, who will talk about free energy…

An intrepid (or OCD) reporter has been tracking slices of pizza throughout the 5 boroughs since 2014. None of his slices in Harlem warranted mention for quality (though I’m shocked that he wasn’t impressed with Patsy’s in East Harlem.) Spent on plain slices: $955.09 Spent on dollar slices: $35.09 Spent on Pepperoni slices: $202.28 Spent…

R. Crumb was sent on assignment to Harlem in the mid-1960s and produced a number of cartoons depicting the neighborhood. These cartoons were then collected in a small book with other drawings he did in Eastern Europe