The Harlem Neighborhood Block Association

Neighbors united to improve the quality of life in Harlem

Tag: Vigil

Candlelight Vigil

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Dr. Keith Taylor, a neighbor and friend writes:

Neighbors,
If you are able, I ask you to attend a community candlelight vigil at the 32nd Precinct tonight at 6:30 pm to show support for our officers at a time of great loss to the NYPD and to the Harlem community. Your presence will mean a tremendous amount to the officers and to me. As a volunteer NYPD community liaison, I regularly speak to rookie officers as they get assigned to the 32 Precinct about the Harlem community as well as lessons learned from my 23 years in the NYPD. We have lost one of our best, Officer Jason Rivera, and another officer, Wilbert Mora, is fighting for his life as I write this to you. Thank you for sharing this with our community.
Sincerely,
Keith

Art In The Park

Earlier, in the fall, we attended a reception for the sculpture Renaissance Women that was located in Marcus Garvey Park, in front of the pool entrance. The artist, Alice Mizrachi (pictured above) was on hand to answer questions, pose in front of her work, and help with a fun participatory art project.

If you’re in the park, make sure to stroll past and check out her hand-forged steel piece.

We Still Here

The Silent Procession (NYC4PR) is co-sponsoring a documentary film (fundraiser) on February 24th.

The documentary examines how in the absence of federal support from the previous administration, Puerto Rican communities were forced to rescue themselves in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

https://WeStillHereScreening.eventcombo.com

Florence Mills

Posted on by Harlem Shill

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:
[email protected]
The Honorable William Castro
Manhattan Borough Commissioner
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
24 West 61st
New York, NY 10023
Honorable William Castro:
[email protected]

The Honorable Jonathan Thomas
Chair, Parks and Landmarks Committee
Manhattan Community Board 9
16 Old Broadway
New York, NY 10027
Honorable Jonathan Thomas:
[email protected]

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.

Florence-Mills-supporters-linksDownload
Florence-MillsDownload

Florence-Mills-TributeDownload
Florence-performs-in-HarlemDownload

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.

Photos from the Vigil

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

Calabar Gallery

Posted on by Harlem Shill

One of the joys of Harlem is visiting the galleries, large and small, that display such a range of amazing art.

The Calabar Gallery, at 2504 Frederick Douglass Blvd, (646-964-5062) focuses on representing underserved artists locally and globally, with a special interest in African, African American and Caribbean artists.

The gallery is an exhibition space, community space, retail location, and well worth checking out.

Evictions

538 has a fascinating article on how the expected tsunami of evictions not only didn’t happen, but evictions are below historic norms:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-happened-to-the-eviction-tsunami/

Vigil Tomorrow

Tomorrow (Fri) at 10 am, you are invited to a vigil in memory of Mr. Yao Pan Ma. Join us to grieve with the Ma family and wish that justice will be served. We will lay down white flowers and light white candles at the location of the attack. 

Come join Harlem’s residents our officials to recommit to unity. We will call for better safety in the area where Mr. Ma was attacked and more social services for our vulnerable people, including our seniors and our homeless population. May something good come out of this tragic event.

PLEASE HELP spread the word about the event to the media and residents. Your support would be a great solace for the grieving family and to our large Asian senior population in Harlem.

You can also help repost and retweet on social media here: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

For more information, write to Upper Manhattan Asian American Alliance at [email protected] or call 415 215 2035. Anyone interested in supporting the Asian residents in Harlem can sign up to volunteer or donate on our website here.