History

Stretching from the Hudson River to the East/Harlem River and from 155th street to 110th street, Harlem is an area in Manhattan most notably known for its renaissance years; a period in which it acted as a center for African-American cultural advancement in the arts and also politically. Harlem However has always been a haven for immigrants in New York City, it was a Dutch settlement from 1658 and was comprised of mostly farmlands and land that was not developed for the first 200 years of its history. Throughout its history Harlem has been occupied by Italians in the 1930’s a part of East Harlem was also known as “Italian Harlem” and at the same time its western part was largely habituated by the Jews who gave it the moniker “Jewish Harlem.” Later on the 1950’s due to a large settlement by Hispanics mainly Puerto Ricans it was known as “El Barrio” or Spanish Harlem where some of the most famous artist and writers came out of such as Julia de Burgos and Ray Barretto, the latter who is a jazz artist and a Grammy winner and the former a very influential poet in Puerto Rican history.

During the 1920’s Harlem became a center where African Americans thrived with cultural and artistic expressions. This period is also known as the Harlem Renaissance a period in which African American musicians, poets, writers and artist used “their artistic creativity as a means to show America and the world that Blacks are intellectual, artistic and humane and should be treated accordingly” as stated in the Harlem Heritage website, a website dedicated to the history of Harlem. The Harlem Renaissance is a key movement in the African American struggle to gain recognition and equality in America. The Famous African American poet, playwright and novelist Langston Hughes emerged from this period and wrote about the African American struggle in Harlem.

In the 1950’s Harlem played a big role in the civil rights movement, it served as a place where blacks were able to gather and talk about their place in American society and all the changes that they would like to see happen. In the article “Gentrification and displacement in Harlem” author Marie Gorrild and her colleagues talks about the history of Harlem as a landmark in black history when they state “Once the heart of African American cultural life, it was less than fifty years ago that Malcolm X spoke here while a young Muhammad Ali stood and listened in the crowd.” Harlem has served as a haven and a sanctuary where blacks are able to safe and also comfortable in an America that hasn’t always been kind to them.

(Malcom X speech in 125th Street and Lenox)