Harlem Celebrates Its Rebirth after 50 Years
2024-08-24
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1In the 1970s, a lack of community investment resulted in a large number of people leaving Harlem, a well-known New York City neighborhood in northern Manhattan.
2Nearly 50,000 people, about a third of the area's population, left to escape violence, crime and poor living conditions.
3Among those who left was LeeSandra Moore's mother who moved to the state of Virginia.
4"It was a scary time," said Moore, now 52 and still living in Harlem.
5"I couldn't blame her for that."
6Those who stayed were mostly poor, Black families.
7They lived through unrest that followed the 1964 killing of an unarmed Black teenager and the killings of Black leader Malcolm X in 1965 and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
8News reports described Harlem as a "sinking ship."
9Percy Sutton was president of the local Manhattan government at the time.
10As the city's highest-ranking Black official, he knew Harlem needed a lift and started a festival called Harlem Day in 1974.
11Sutton called up elected officials.
12He gathered actors, like Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee, entertainers, including Tito Puente and Max Roach, and the poet Maya Angelou to celebrate the first Harlem Day.
13It honored Harlem's history and shows how the neighborhood became known as "Black Mecca" or the center of Black arts, culture and businesses.
14"It was such a successful day," said Lloyd Williams - one of Harlem Day's co-founders and the current president of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce - that it became a week-long yearly event called Harlem Week.
15This year, Harlem Week celebrated its 50th anniversary with 18 days filled with free programming.
16The celebration included food, Broadway performances, an Apollo Hour, and a tribute to entertainer Harry Belafonte.
17It offered financial education and career training, and for children, back-to-school backpacks.
18One important part of Harlem Week was an effort to deal with Harlem's long-standing health crises.
19Medical volunteers checked blood pressure and tested for cancer and diabetes.
20People learned about drug use, HIV/AIDS and healthy aging.
21Rev. Al Sharpton leads the National Action Network in Harlem.
22He said, "Harlem Week has been the constant line through the last 50 years of America's most historic Black neighborhood."
23Organizers and people say Harlem Week has brought new life to the area.
24The once-deserted neighborhood is now home to restored buildings, new businesses, and immigrants.
25The streets are filled with jazz, reggae, R&B, and gospel music traditions.
26Moore, the Harlem native whose mother moved to Virginia, watched as big national stores moved in.
27Sometimes they took the place of local shops and made rents go up.
28"Some of that is okay, but what about the small business where you can get that great sandwich?" she asked.
29Moore wants people to eat less fast food, so she teaches healthy eating and cooking to young local students.
30At Harlem Week, Moore represented GirlTrek, a national movement of Black women supporting health through walking.
31She said, "I feel like I should have left a long time ago, but something about Harlem draws me back to it."
32Moore continued, "Harlem is my beginning. Harlem is my future. Harlem is a huge part of what makes me who I am."
33I'm Jill Robbins.
1In the 1970s, a lack of community investment resulted in a large number of people leaving Harlem, a well-known New York City neighborhood in northern Manhattan. 2Nearly 50,000 people, about a third of the area's population, left to escape violence, crime and poor living conditions. Among those who left was LeeSandra Moore's mother who moved to the state of Virginia. "It was a scary time," said Moore, now 52 and still living in Harlem. "I couldn't blame her for that." 3Those who stayed were mostly poor, Black families. They lived through unrest that followed the 1964 killing of an unarmed Black teenager and the killings of Black leader Malcolm X in 1965 and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. 4News reports described Harlem as a "sinking ship." 5Percy Sutton was president of the local Manhattan government at the time. As the city's highest-ranking Black official, he knew Harlem needed a lift and started a festival called Harlem Day in 1974. 6Sutton called up elected officials. He gathered actors, like Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee, entertainers, including Tito Puente and Max Roach, and the poet Maya Angelou to celebrate the first Harlem Day. It honored Harlem's history and shows how the neighborhood became known as "Black Mecca" or the center of Black arts, culture and businesses. 7"It was such a successful day," said Lloyd Williams - one of Harlem Day's co-founders and the current president of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce - that it became a week-long yearly event called Harlem Week. 8The festival's 50th year 9This year, Harlem Week celebrated its 50th anniversary with 18 days filled with free programming. 10The celebration included food, Broadway performances, an Apollo Hour, and a tribute to entertainer Harry Belafonte. It offered financial education and career training, and for children, back-to-school backpacks. 11One important part of Harlem Week was an effort to deal with Harlem's long-standing health crises. Medical volunteers checked blood pressure and tested for cancer and diabetes. People learned about drug use, HIV/AIDS and healthy aging. 12Rev. Al Sharpton leads the National Action Network in Harlem. He said, "Harlem Week has been the constant line through the last 50 years of America's most historic Black neighborhood." 13Organizers and people say Harlem Week has brought new life to the area. The once-deserted neighborhood is now home to restored buildings, new businesses, and immigrants. The streets are filled with jazz, reggae, R&B, and gospel music traditions. 14Big stores vs. small shops 15Moore, the Harlem native whose mother moved to Virginia, watched as big national stores moved in. Sometimes they took the place of local shops and made rents go up. "Some of that is okay, but what about the small business where you can get that great sandwich?" she asked. Moore wants people to eat less fast food, so she teaches healthy eating and cooking to young local students. 16At Harlem Week, Moore represented GirlTrek, a national movement of Black women supporting health through walking. She said, "I feel like I should have left a long time ago, but something about Harlem draws me back to it." 17Moore continued, "Harlem is my beginning. Harlem is my future. Harlem is a huge part of what makes me who I am." 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19Ryan Doan-Nguyen reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 20______________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22scary- adj. causing fear 23rank - v. to place (someone or something) in a particular position among a group of people or things that are being judged according to quality, ability, size, etc. 24festival - n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something 25What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.