By Melissa Henderson
The University’s Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs (OMISP) hosted the “Harlem Experiential Learning Trip” last Saturday. Fifteen students, several administrators and faculty members boarded a bus to Harlem at 9 a.m.
The day started with tour guide Andy Owens, a well-respected Harlem historian from Harlem Tours, who showed students many important landmarks that defined Harlem as a black community.
The home of famous American poet, novelist and short-story writer Langston Hughes is currently on display. It is being used for tours, fundraisers, art, drama shows and concerts in order to bring Harlem Renaissance culture to life.
Owens led the tour to the main building at Shepard Hall, part of the City College of New York. Established sometime between 1902 and 1907, Shepard Hall was known as the “college for the poor,” and it was modeled after Oxford and Cambridge University in London. The college is set in a Victorian style, and the stone actually came from New York City subways.
Students also visited the famous Apollo Theater at 125th Street in downtown Harlem. They dined at the Harlem House of Prayer, eating a three-course “soul food” dinner.
Harlem is expanding and developing more mainstream businesses in an effort to bring more jobs and opportunities to the community. However, whether that is good for the community is debatable.
“There are brownstone ‘row’ houses worth millions of dollars even though low-to-middle class Americans occupy them,” Owens said.
The highlight of the tour was witnessing Harlem’s transformation from low-cost neighborhoods to ones that are demolished, renovated, and then sold for a high price previous tenants cannot afford. This allows wealthier people, who can afford the costs, to move in instead.
Currently, Harlem is being remodeled with luxury apartments, and many offices have relocated there. These apartments are being sold for millions of dollars to white middle- to upper- income families, forcing minorities to continue moving uptown.
Many borough officials and Harlem residents have taken the initiative to organize town hall meetings to “save Harlem” from being taken over.
Harlem used to be a place where famous African-Americans congregated with a different atmosphere from Manhattan’s fast pace and expensive real estate. Now many people “seem to have an economic development plan for Harlem that excludes blacks,” Owens said.
There is now a Starbucks on the corner of 125th Street and Lennox Avenue that Magic Johnson helped start in 1999, as well as a handful of mainstream banks that were not present five years ago.
Although various building projects for shopping malls and housing are a much needed change for Harlem, residents feel it is not fitting for the urban community, and worse, that they are being forced to move from their homes.
Most Harlem residents do not even own the homes; they are owned by old businesses such as the Dutch East India Company or old construction companies. As a result, Harlem residents do not legally have much choice, but a lot of petitioning is being done and meetings are held weekly to prevent gentrification.
“Harlem has so much dignity, the people are strong, and they are the culture. What’s wrong with people trying to take that away from them?” sophomore Nicole Wilson said.