Welcome to Harlem’s Newsletter
-
2020 Census Data on Asian New Yorkers
A view of Zip Code 10035 from the 2020 Census. You can see that over the last 30 years, the percentage of Asian residents increased from 1% to 6%. In this map of northern Manhattan (above) you can see the grayer areas where the percentage of Asian New Yorkers went down, and the green areas,…
-
A Wooden Harlem House
Ephemeral New York had a great article about a small, two-story wooden home on West 124th Street, here in Harlem. Today the location is the back of Whole Foods (essentially their loading dock) : But in the 19th century (and into the early 20th century) a small wooden home with a charming Victorian porch held…
-
Painting Mystery
Looking at this painting you’d never guess it was from the Harlem Renaissance artist/designer Aaron Douglas: This undated painting is said to be of Harlem, but Ephemeral New York, hasn’t been able to figure out where in Harlem (on the Hudson, or on the Harlem Rivers) it was based: At an unknown date, he also…
-
Frederick Douglass Circle
At the northwest corner of Central Park lies Frederick Douglass Circle, a memorial plaza featuring an eight-foot bronze sculpture of the famed abolitionist leader, women’s suffragist, editor, orator, author, and statesman. While Douglass is an integral figure in American history, it took time for the sculpture and accompanying renovation of the area to come about—a…
-
November 9th – HNBA Monthly Meeting
Hello Harlem Neighbors, mark your calendar for 7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 9th. HNBA will have Michael Lythcott attend to explain the new National Black Theater building project that will replace the former building on 5th Avenue between 125/126. This large new cultural center and residence will be a major landmark in our community. Learn…
-
Halloween In Harlem
East Harlem: (western) Central Harlem: Central Harlem: South Harlem (for Pets)
-
Algorithms Too? Yes, Computers Can Reinforce the Bias of Their Designers
The Markup – https://themarkup.org/denied/2021/08/25/the-secret-bias-hidden-in-mortgage-approval-algorithms – has a great set of visualizations that illustrate one of the reasons why the wealth gap between Black and White Americans continues to grow. The article on The Secret Bias Hidden in Mortgage-Approval Algorithms shows how communities of color routinely get fewer mortgage loans than white communities with the same…
-
Where One Gathers the Wood to Make Bows (aka, Manhattan)
William Starna (Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the State University of New York College at Oneonta) has a fascinating short article on the Origins of the Name Manhattan: The event is a storied one. In 1626, Peter Minuit purchased a large island at the mouth of the Hudson River from unknown and unnamed although otherwise Munsee-speaking…
-
2020 Census Data on Black New Yorkers
A view of Zip Code 10035 from the 2020 Census. You can see that over the last 30 years, the percentage of Black residents went down from 35% to 26% – still the second largest group in this zip code. In this map of northern Manhattan (above) you can see the grayer areas where the…
-
The Train Used to Stop at 110th Street
Above is a rendering of the 110th Street station in 1876 on what became the Metro-North line on Park Avenue. Note that above 110th street the train line was not on an iron el platform, and instead was on a solid masonry platform. You can see spacious upper Manhattan farmland, a few brownstones (long since gone…
-
Households with Someone Who Uses Electric Medical Equipment
How Calculated: Estimated number of households reporting someone using electric medical equipment; expressed as percent. Source: New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey (HVS) A Sign of Our Times A month or two ago I thought this sign for Unk’s Place with a masked Unk, is the kind of image that historians will be able to…
-
Opioid Injection Site in East Harlem Floated by DOHMH
On Monday the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene visited CB11 and floated a trial balloon to hint that they are considering locating an opioid injection site in East Harlem. The full presentation was given by Dr. Cunningham and is available here: The specific pitch for the need for opioid injection sites is here: If…
