Oneeka Khan

What was Harlem to me? Before college, it was a neighborhood in which I thought I’d surely get robbed or kidnapped if I were to ever step foot in it. As I started attending CCNY, it became that dreaded place I had to commute to every day with the gothic buildings that were just as shabby on the inside as they were beautiful on the outside. That place that had nothing exciting around it whatsoever, just some fast food chains I wouldn’t eat at and random businesses that were of no interest to me. That place with the really shady park people were known to get assaulted at. Having the Hudson River nearby and easy access to the subway made it better, but even then Harlem was only that place and nothing more to me. I’d hear about 125th street here and there and how it was a good place to hang out, but honestly I thought my fellow colleagues were just glorifying the area because there was nothing better in Harlem. However, what I didn’t know until our tour of Harlem was that I was too quick to judge the neighborhood based on the few blocks I’ve seen that didn’t do it justice.

The truth about Harlem is that it’s a neighborhood rooted with rich culture and fascinating history. As our bubbly tour guide took us through it’s streets and retraced the footsteps of some of the most influential artists during the Harlem Renaissance, I couldn’t help but reevaluate my perspective. At one point, we were standing in front of a building that was once the show ground of the country’s best basketball team: The Harlem Globetrotters. As Alicia detailed their background, I stared up at the boarded windows and couldn’t help but feel disheartened. I realized I was not only witnessing a major culture-based neighborhood, but that I was also witnessing the culture’s slow death. As the tour went on, we continued to stop at landmarks that were closed up and ready to be demolished or have already been. Another example is an area that was once the center for nightlife in Harlem that had been replaced by beauty salons, shops, and a Popeyes. As if America needed more deep-fried shrimp and chicken. The gentrification of Harlem is great in the sense that it led to a major decrease in crime rate. However, when will NYC realize that it is one of the most culturally enhanced cities in the country but that it’s starting to lose the culture to the greed of wealth and status? Perhaps never.

The tour of Harlem opened my eyes to a culture I never knew existed beyond the boundaries of my campus. From the artists during the Harlem Renaissance to the musicians making their debut in the Apollo Theater, the neighborhood has been a harbor for a variety of the arts and the integration of the African American experience.