Gentrification & Hidden History

Photo: By Kiran Rajagopalan - 138th Street Bridge on the edge of the Bronx overlooking Manhattan across the Harlem River

For the most part this New York Times article is spot on. Although I have lived in ‪#‎harlem‬ less than a year, the tension with gentrification here is so palpable. However, the article doesn't mention how diverse Harlem & Tremé actually were during the early 20th century. These are areas where "black" extends beyond the African diaspora and into South Asian & Latino immigrant communities who settled in these areas in significant numbers and who were often labeled as "black" on censuses:

"There is something about black neighborhoods, or at least poor black neighborhoods, that seem to make them irresistible to gentrification. Just look at U Street in Washington or Tremé in New Orleans. “Everywhere I travel in the U.S. and even in Brixton, in London, a place as culturally vibrant as Harlem, wherever people of color live, we and the landmarks that embody our presence, unprotected, piece by piece, are being replaced,” said Valerie Jo Bradley, who helped found the preservation advocacy group Save Harlem Now!"

#newyorkcity #gentrification #bronx #harlem #graffiti