Classroom

The Harlem YMCA was built between 1931 to 1932, under the direction of architect James C. Mackenzie Jr. When it was built, its primary function was to provide facilities to African American guests, while all other YMCAs only allowed white guests. It became one of the best-equipped YMCAs in the United States. It was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks in 1976 and was added as a New York City Landmark in 1998.

The Harlem YMCA is also referred to as the Claude McKay residence because he stayed here between the years 1941 to 1946. Claude McKay is a poet and writer who became famous in 1919 with his poem titled “If We Must Die” which was about post- World War I racial relations. He also wrote “Home to Harlem” which was the first book by an African-American author to reach the list of best sellers. He is regarded as the Father of the Harlem Renaissance.

The Harlem YMCA still operates today and still rents rooms to guests. It is located in the heart of Harlem, very close to the Apollo Theatre and the Schomburg Museum. Many students of Columbia University and City College stay there today.&nbsp;

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The Harlem YMCA, which is also known as the Claude McKay Residence, is a YMCA located in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1931 and was the first YMCA to allow African American guests. Many prominent African Americans have stayed here including poet Claude McKay and Malcolm X. The YMCA offers memberships that include guests rooms, access to the gym, art programs, and other activities for youth and adult visitors. 

The Harlem YMCA

This extended walking tour starts at the location of the famous Savoy Ballroom and includes numerous historic landmarks including churches, monuments, museums, and locations related to the Harlem Renaissance. 

Opened in 1926, the Savoy Ballroom emerged during the Harlem Renaissance - a time where Harlem served as the cultural center of the African-American community. The musical tradition of the African-American community particularly thrived during this time, and Savoy served as a creative hub for those involved in the movement. Savoy was owned by Jay Faggen and Moe Gale, who was a well-known Jewish mobster, but the Ballroom was run by Charles Buchanan, who was an African-American businessman. Savoy was unique because it was one of the first places in the United States to allow integration between Blacks and whites. This was a highly successful idea, as guests of both races flooded the Ballroom from night to night. The success of Savoy was often credited to both great music and a safe environment. Savoy used bodyguards, who were ex-athletes, to ensure no violence occurred inside the club. Savoy was most known for its dancers. The Savoy Dancers helped revolutionize dancing across the nation. Popular dances that came out of Savoy included the Flying Charleston, The Big Apple, The Stomp, Snakehips, Peckin', and Rhumboogie. There were two popular Savoy Dance troupes, in particular, that left their mark on the dance world. The first, the Savoy Lindy Hoppers, was created by George Snowden. Members included Mattie Purnell, Leroy "Stretch" Jones, and "Twistmouth George" Ganaway. The second troupe, Whitley's Lindy Hoppers, was created by a Savoy bodyguard named Herbert White. He was known for helping Savoy stars make a name for themselves in film and television. After years of up and down business, the Savoy closed in 1958, with hopes of a reopening. However, the building was torn down in 1959 to make room for a housing development. A commemorative plaque was put up in 2002 between 140th and 141st Streets.

The Savoy Ballroom was opened on March 12, 1926, between 140th and 141st Streets. It was owned by a local Jewish mobster named Moe Gale and his business partner, Jay Faggen. However, the actual ballroom was run by Charles Buchanan, who was an African-American businessman. While establishments like the Cotton Club drew the color line, the Savoy belonged to the Black community and was open to all. The Savoy was one of the first establishments in the city to not only allow but welcome both white and Black guests. This was a tremendous risk at the time and oral histories recall how the owner panicked when no patrons arrived when he opened the doors on his first night. Within two hours, the Savoy had a crowd of hundreds of patrons. The Savoy was best-known for its music and its dancers and is historically significant as a Black institution that was open to all.

Savoy Ballroom, Harlem 1926-1958

Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was established in 1796 when Black members of the John Street Church decided that they could no longer tolerate that church's practice of racial segregation. James Varick, a former deacon of the church, found an old building in which the Black members who left the majority-white church could worship together as equals. Although many whites who attended John Street Methodist opposed slavery, they did not practice racial integration or believe in racial equality. In response, African Americans formed their own congregations throughout the late 18th and early 19th century.&nbsp;
The group began as 100 worshipers and soon established a church at the corner of Church and Leonard Streets. As the population and church grew, the founders and leaders of Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church chose to dissociate completely with the Methodist Church as its leaders refused to ordain Black bishops. As the congregation's members increasingly lived in the northern sections of the growing city, the church moved to be closer to the homes of its members.&nbsp;Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was also committed to the freedom of African Americans and many of the members played a key role in challenging slavery. The church became a stop on the Underground Railroad. The church was soon known by the name “Freedom Church” as a reflection of their members' activism. In the attached video below, Cynthia Copeland discusses the decision to move the Church to Seneca Village in this video:&nbsp;The church is located near other African American historical landmarks such as the Harlem YMCA, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Savoy Ballroom.&nbsp;

Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was founded in 1796  when Black members of John Street Methodist Church left that congregation and formed their own church. This is the oldest Black church in New York and its members inspired the creation of numerous others leading to the title of "Mother Church" of the A.M.E. Zion denomination. The congregation met at five previous buildings before acquiring this structure. The sanctuary was one of the first works from future African American architect, George W. Foster, built from 1923 to 1925. In addition to administering to the religious needs of its members, the congregation spread and became a driving force in the creation of other Black congregations. Given the support for abolition, and the leadership of members including Sojourner Truth, the congregation was known as the "Freedom Church" for their support of the Underground Railroad.  

Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

In 1926,&nbsp;The New York Public Library&nbsp;added&nbsp;the personal collection of the distinguished Black scholar and bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg to the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints of its 135th Street Branch Library.&nbsp; Schomburg subsequently served as curator of the division from 1932 until his death in 1938. The division was renamed in his honor in 1940, and in 1972 it was designated as one of the Research Libraries of The New York Public Library.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/64/205">Research and Reference Division</a> The Research and Reference Division contains more than 15o,ooo volumes and 85,ooo microforms. Primarily in English, they also include works in a variety of African and European languages. Although weighted heavily toward the humanities and social sciences, the division's collections also comprise resources covering medicine and the natural sciences. In addition, it offers more than 6,ooo serials, including 4oo Black newspapers and 1,ooo current periodicals from around the world. The Ernest D. Kaiser Index to Black Resources is one of the Schomburg Center's most unique finding aids, providing more than 179,000 citations to articles in thousands of issues of Black magazines and newspapers.

The Research and Reference Division is officially named the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division after the Center's curator and chief from 1948-1980. Hutson played a key role in preserving the facility be means of helping to secure funds, growing the Center's collection, and tailoring the library to the needs of the people. Under Hutson's tenure as curator and chief, the library grew from a mere 15,000 volumes to an astound 75,000 volumes. This was due largely to her connection with childhood friend and esteemed poet Langston Hughes, whom she was able to persuade to donate a large part of his collection to the library. Today, one of the&nbsp;three buildings which make up the Schomburg Center is named&nbsp;after Langston Hughes in recognition of his&nbsp;generous contribution. The growth of&nbsp;the libraries resources which resulted&nbsp;naturally from this contribution gained&nbsp;due to the&nbsp;efforts of Hutson&nbsp;created a need for more space to house them.&nbsp;To fix this growing need for space,&nbsp;Hutson helped to&nbsp;establish the Schomburg Corporation in 1971.&nbsp;This corporation was&nbsp;charged with the goal of raising money for more space to house&nbsp;the Center's growing collection and was made up of many concerned and passionate&nbsp;Harlem residents.&nbsp;Not only mention, Hutson also&nbsp;"learned to go to Albany", where she petitioned legislature for funds to&nbsp;construct a more viable living space for the Center's collection.&nbsp;These acts collectively led to the acquisition of the $3.7mil used to construct the new building for the Center, which opened in 1981.

<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/64/206">Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division</a> The Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division enables researchers to work directly with unique, original source materials. The collection has grown through the years, beginning with the rare treasures from Arturo Alfonso Schomburg's personal holdings. Today, it contains more than 3,900 rare books, 580 manuscript collections, and 15,ooo pieces of sheet music and rare printed materials. These include the original manuscript of Richard Wright's Native Son; the papers of Dr. Robert Weaver, the first Black United States cabinet officer; Gustavus Vassa's autobiography, which provides evidence for Granville Sharp's attack on slavery in the British colonies in 1796; and records of the Civil Rights Congress.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/64/204">Art and Artifacts Division</a> The Art and Artifacts Division houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Black artists' work in a research center. It includes paintings, sculptures, works on paper and textiles, and material culture. It contains more than 20,000 items from Africa and the African Diaspora. The collection is particularly strong in art produced during the Harlem Renaissance and WPA periods. This includes murals by Aaron Douglas, a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Black American artists are represented by 19th-century figures such as Edward Mitchell Bannister and Henry Ossawa Tanner, and 20th-century figures such as Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, and Romare Bearden.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/64/208">Photographs and Prints Division</a> The Photographs and Prints Division includes collections of images from mid-18th-century graphics to contemporary documentary and art photographs. The more than 500,000 items include portraits of many prominent 19th- and 20th-century Black artists, political figures, actors, musicians, athletes, and social activists. The collection also documents Black life throughout the world including scenes from Africa and the slave era through the 20th-century Americas. Among the photographers represented are James VanDerZee, Gordon Parks, Edward Steichen, Coreen Simpson, Bert Andrews, and Chester Higgins.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/64/207">Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division</a> The Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division offers a broad range of audiovisual documentation of Black culture including music, oral history recordings, motion pictures, and videotapes. Its resources include early radio broadcasts and recordings of statements by celebrated personalities such as Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, and George Washington Carver. Musical documentation ranges from African chants to American jazz. These assets are complemented today by a special Oral History/Video Documentation Project which videotapes interviews with historically or culturally significant figures. It offers over 5,000 hours of oral history recordings and more than 5,000 motion pictures and videotapes of early Black Þlm classics, documentaries, and radio programs from many parts of the world.Educational and Cultural Programs Educational and Cultural Programs at the Schomburg Center complement its research services and interpret its collections. Seminars, forums, workshops, staged readings, film screenings, performing arts programs, and special events are presented on a year-round basis in its renowned Langston Hughes Auditorium.Each year, the Schomburg Center presents a number of exhibitions featuring art objects, photographs, documents, published works and artifacts drawn from its own holdings, as well as resources from other institutions. These exhibitions explore issues and themes in the history and culture of people of African descent throughout the world. The programs and exhibitions are open to everyone, from schoolchildren to senior citizens, and most are available for free, increasing the library's role as a community center. The Schomburg Center's Traveling Exhibitions program makes exhibits on themes such as the Black press, the anti-apartheid movement, Black photographers, Black theatre, and voluntary Black migration available to institutions nationally and internationally. The Schomburg Center's Schools Program offers Summer Institutes for teachers, year-round teachers' forums, and workshops on Black history and culture. It also produces and disseminates curriculum guides, exhibition portfolios, and audiovisual materials on related themes.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture located in Harlem, New York is a research unit of The New York Public Library system. It is recognized as one of the leading institutions focusing exclusively on African-American, African Diaspora, and African experiences. Begun with the collections of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg more than 85 years ago, the Schomburg has collected, preserved, and provided access to materials documenting Black life—in America and worldwide. It has also promoted the study and interpretation of the history and culture of peoples of African descent. Today, the Schomburg continues to serve the community not just as a center and a library, but also as a space that encourages lifelong education and exploration.

The Schomburg Center consists of three connected buildings: The Schomburg Building, the Langston Hughes Building, and the Landmark Building.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library

Jewel Vertner Woodson Tandy was the son of a builder in Lexington, KY. His father migrated to the Bluegrass State shortly after the Civil War ended in 1865. Vertner attended Tuskegee Institute where he studied architecture under the guidance of Booker T. Washington. He later transferred to Cornell University. After continuing his education at Cornell, Tandy became the first African American to be licensed as an architect in the state of New York. He started a company with George Washington Foster, and the team designed and built several notable buildings. A major construction of Tandy &amp; Foster was St. Philip's Episcopal Church in New York City. The church was carefully designed in Neo-Gothic fashion with great attention to detail. The structure was built primarily out of stone and brick, unlike the original building, which was made of wood. After the original suffered fire damage, Tandy &amp; Foster were contracted to build the new church at its current location. St. Philip's Episcopal Church is still open as a place of worship, and has housed policeman as a barrack during riot times over the past 100 years. Not only was Vertner Tandy a brilliant architect and trailblazer for African Americans in the workforce, but he was also the first African American to pass the U.S. military commissioning exam. Tandy was commissioned First Lieutenant&nbsp; in the&nbsp;15th Infantry of the New York State National Guard. He also founded Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and served as its first treasurer.

The most modern rendition of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in New York, New York was designed and built under the vision of Vertner Tandy in 1910. Jewel Vertner Woodson Tandy was the first African American to be licensed as an architect in New York. St. Philip's was a primarily Black church, and was often the victim of vandalism and attack from angry whites. The original structure was made of wood, but after suffering fire damage, was rebuilt using stone. Tandy, in conjunction with his business partner George Washington Foster, designed the new church in Neo-Gothic fashion. 

St. Philip's Episcopal Church

Hamer's speech is most famous for her oft-quoted line "&nbsp;I am sick and tired of being sick and tired." The link below provides the full text. Hamer uttered the line in reference to those urging patience and acceptance of the glacial pace of racial equality: "And you can always hear this long sob story," Hamer said, "'You know it takes time.' For three hundred years, we've given them time. And I've been tired so long, now I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, and we want a change. We want a change in this society in America because, you see, we can no longer ignore the facts and getting our children to sing, "Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed." What do we have to hail here? The truth is the only thing going to free us. And you know this whole society is sick."&nbsp; Malcolm X followed, connecting the Black Freedom Struggle in America to the Mau Mau Revolution and the radical and often violent methods they used to&nbsp;end colonialism in Kenya. "In my opinion," Malcolm X exclaimed,&nbsp;"not only in Mississippi and Alabama, but right here in New York City, you and I can best learn how to get real freedom by studying how Kenyatta brought it to his people in Kenya, and how Odinga helped him, and the excellent job that was done by the Mau Mau freedom fighters. In fact, that's what we need in Mississippi. In Mississippi we need a Mau Mau. In Alabama we need a Mau Mau. In Georgia we need a Mau Mau. Right here in Harlem, in New York City, we need a Mau Mau."

In December 1964, Representatives of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party toured Northern cities seeking support for their campaign to block the seating of Mississippi's pro-segregation Congressmen who had been elected through the disfranchisement of Black voters. 

A rally was held at Harlem's CME Church on December 20, 1964 with Malcolm X and Fannie Lou Hamer serving as the chief speakers. Hamer had risen from a sharecropper to a national figure after running for Congress on the bi-racial MFDP ticket which led to her moving testimony before Congress about the brutality she and other African Americans endured when they tried to vote in Mississippi. 

Hamer's speech is most famous for her oft-quoted line " I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."

"Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired"- Fannie Lou Hamer and Malcolm X Speak at Williams Institutional CME Church in Harlem, 1964 

The Amsterdam News was founded by James H. Anderson, who issued its first publication on December 4, 1909. Named after the street on which Anderson lived, these first copies sold for just two cents and largely focused on day to day Black life. This included marriages, funerals, birthdays, and more, which were limited to the immediate community. One of only an approximate fifty Black newspapers at this time, the paper nonetheless remained integral to Black heritage and sense of pride. It was the 1935 purchase of the newspaper by Dr. Cielan Bethan Powell and Dr. Phillip M.H. Savory of the Powell Savory Company which brought the paper national acclaim. Under the capable leadership of Powell and Savory, the newspaper was able to capitalize upon increased tensions between Blacks and whites which resulted from The Great Migration. Reporting on matters like The Civil Rights Movement, The Freedom Riders, and The Montgomery Bus Boycott, The Amsterdam News was able to successfully cater to an audience hungry for political change. Not only this, but the paper was also able to add the voices of leading activists and civil rights leaders during this era, including but not limited to W.E.B. Dubois, Roy Wilkins, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and Malcolm X. Most famously featuring Dubois'&nbsp;columnn "God's Angry Man", first published in 1958, the newspaper was increasingly able to capture the frustration of a Black population hungry for change. The inclusion of women amongst their ranks strengthened their cry for inclusion, with Marvel Cooke becoming the first woman hired in 1928. Cooke later went on to become the first Black woman hired at a white, mainstream newspaper upon her employment at The Daily Compass some years later. Today, The Amsterdam News is no longer one of just fifty Black newspapers which circulate the United States, demonstrating the immense success the paper achieved in illustrating the necessity of a forum designated specifically to the plight of a people who are still marginalized by American society to this day. The newspaper has become a voice to all these marginalized peoples, as it states on their official website, "...remains keenly aware and respectful of the fact that it serves an increasingly multi-racial and multi-ethnic community in New York and beyond." It is in this way that The Amsterdam News remains relevant and powerful for the minority groups within America, as it has adopted "The New Black View" with the mission of seeking to adapt to the needs of a changing people.

Amsterdam News issued its first publication on December 4, 1909 from the home of founder James H. Anderson. One of only approximately fifty Black newspapers circulating the United States at this time, the newspaper became largely successful amongst the Black population during The Great Migration. It was during this time that the paper relocated to Harlem, where proximity allowed better coverage of increased tensions which arose between whites and Blacks during this time. The contributions Amsterdam News made to The Civil Rights Movement are best evidenced by the authors which it featured, which include W.E.B. DuBois, Roy Wilkins, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and Malcolm X. Today, The Amsterdam News remains committed to seeking increased equality between minority and majority within American society.

The New York Amsterdam News Building

Harriet Tubman took her husband’s last name, and her mother’s first name, around 1844. Before escaping she changed her name so it would be challenging to track her. Harriet was originally born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland and given the name of Araminta Ross. She was nicknamed “Minty” by her parents Harriet and Benjamin Ross. Both Harriet’s parents were owned by separate families until a couple from each side was married. Her mother was a cook, and her father was an expert woodsman who directed other slaves to cut and log timber for the shipbuilding business.1-23

By the age of five, Tubman was “rented” to be a nursemaid and housekeeper. Harriet’s duty was to lay awake throughout the night so the baby wouldn’t cry. When the baby did wake up the mother, she would whip Minty around the neck leaving first of many scars on Harriet that would never heal. Harriet had many other jobs before escaping, including collecting muskrats from traps. She was required to “wade through the water” looking for rates. This caused her to be wet from the waist down for hours. Harriet eventually got the measles and became extremely weak.1-23

In her early teen years, Harriet was moderately disabled from a head injury that caused her to fall asleep in the middle of her everyday activities. Tubman was in the grocery store at the same time as a fugitive slave. The slave’s master threatened him so, he did his best to escape. When he started to run off, the overseer picked up an iron weight and tried to throw it at him. Harriet stepped in the doorway blocking his path. The slave owner hit Tubman and crumpled her skull leaving another scar triggering her sleep spells.1-23&nbsp;In September 1849, rumors were spread that she and many others would be sold to relinquish her owner’s debts. Harriet and her brother’s decided to break their own chains and run towards freedom in the North. They travelled at night following the guidance of the North Star. In the middle of their journey, her brothers decided to turn back, but Harriet kept pushing forward with her faith. After about two weeks a notice was sent out to find her with a three hundred dollar reward. Her journey was about 90 miles alongside the Choptank River from Delaware to Pennsylvania until Philadelphia. In scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman, Harriet said, “I had crossed the line. I was free, but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land; and my home, after all, was down in Maryland; because my father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters, and friends were there. But I was free, and they should be free.”1-23

Tubman saved up money cleaning homes in Philadelphia, so she could help her family become free. Once she found out that her niece Kessiah and her children were about to be sold, Harriet made her way back. She crossed the Mason Dixon Line, with the help of Kessiah’s husband they escaped and found shelter for her family. Harriet made James, Kessiah’s son, into her “protégé”. Tubman paid for James’s schooling at St. Catharine’s. He later became a school teacher and was later elected to the Legislature of Reconstruction, after the Civil War. Throughout the next ten years, Harriet returned to Maryland’s Eastern Shore around a dozen times. She rescued about seventy family members and friends. In one of Harriet’s many biographies it writes, “She used disguises; she walked, rode horses and wagons; sailed on boats; and rode on real trains...She bribed people. She followed rivers that snaked northward. She used the stars and other natural phenomena to lead her north.”1-23

Tubman established multiple strategies during her time of saving slaves. She advised people to leave on Saturday for Sunday was the “day of rest”, their masters would not find out until Monday morning that they had fled. Additionally, announcements of runaway fugitive slaves would not be posted till Monday. Harriet always left at night, she preferred to lead people to safety in fall because the nights lasted longer. She carried a gun with her to not only have protection but to remind people they could not turn back. For if the fugitive slaves turned back the risked the journey to freedom for others. The map that directed her when there were no clouds she would continue to follow the North Star. However, on a cloudy night, she would look at the moss “growing on the north side”.1-23

Tubman knew to always use back roads, waterways, mountains, and swamps to evade the slave owners. Over time, Harriet made nineteen trips and guided about 300 slaves to safety. She saved numerous people’s lives and became known as the “Moses of her People”. “Tubman was called “Moses” as an analogy to the biblical story of Moses who attempted to lead the Jews to the Promised Land that freed them.” Slaves would sing freedom spirituals, including “Go Down Moses, let my people go!” as a reminder that their “savior would deliver them from slavery just as Moses did the Israelites from slavery.”&nbsp;1-23Harriet Tubman had much faith in Christ. When she would have her sleeping spells from her head injuries, it is said that she had vivid dreams of God guiding her. “God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens. He gave me the strength in my limbs. He meant I should be free.” She lead people to safety through with the Underground Rail Road up until the civil war. Throughout the Civil War Tubman worked as a nurse, cook, and spy. "After the war, she settled in Auburn, New York, where she would spend the rest of her long life. She died in 1913."1-23

Harriet Tubman led nineteen trips through the South to guide three hundred slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses and transport for slaves to Free states or Canada arranged by multiple abolitionists. Harriet was known as the “Moses”; the women who led slaves to the “Promise Land”, freedom. Artist Alison Sarr chose to illustrate Harriet not as a conductor of the railroad, but the train itself. She was an unstoppable locomotive who worked to save people from the chains of slavery for the majority of her life. “Freedom felt empty unless you could share it with loved ones.” 

Harriet Tubman Memorial Statue

In 1914, the building where the Apollo Theater currently resides&nbsp;was constructed by George Keister. Its original owner was Sidney Cohen, who provided a thirty-year lease to Benjamin Hurtig and Harry Seamon. The two turned the building into the Hurtig and Seamon’s New Burlesque Theater. Although the owner of the building was an African-American man, African Americans were prohibited from performing at the theater or attending as patrons. Hurtig and Seamon were unable to complete their thirty-year lease because of Fiorello La Guardia. In 1933, La Guardia fought against the performances at Burlesque shows, claiming they were damaging to the community, and the theater was closed.In 1934, Sidney Cohen and Morris Sussman, who acted as the manager, reopened the theater. A few key changes were implemented in the reopening of the theater. The theater was renamed the 125th Street Apollo Theater and the burlesque shows were removed. The shows were changed into revues and the theater focused their attention instead on the African-American audience in Harlem. The Apollo Theater began employing African American theatrical workers. By 1937, it became the largest employer for African-American theatrical workers in the country. It was also the only theater in New York City to offer backstage positions to African American people.



One of the biggest successes for the Apollo Theater was the “Wednesday Amateur Night." Ralph Cooper, an actor and producer, brought the “Wednesday Amateur Night” to the Apollo in 1934. Every Wednesday people would showcase their talents at the theater. The event was also broadcasted across the radio. Through this show, many stars have reached fame. One of the most renowned stars to surface from this show was Ella Fitzgerald, who managed to win one of the very first amateur nights with her beautiful singing at the age of 15. &nbsp;This show continues today.In 1983,&nbsp;the theater received&nbsp;federal and city landmark status.&nbsp;Today the Apollo still offers quality entertainment. Patrons are able to go and see the shows firsthand or can catch the televised versions. An archive has begun to take shape as the Apollo is now trying to form a history of documents, photographs, recordings, and footage in order to capture its years of entertainment services.

The Apollo Theater, where stars are born and legends are made! The Apollo Theater has a long history of showcasing some of America’s greatest talents. The Theater first opened its doors in 1934 and has kick-started the careers of various stars that we still know and love today. These stars and starlets include Diana Ross and the Supremes, James Brown, the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, and Ne-Yo. 

Apollo Theater

Hotel Theresa deteriorated throughout the 1960s owing to the costs of maintenance and the decline in high-profile guests. The end of formal and informal practices of racial segregation throughout other hotels in the city gave Black visitors more opportunities to stay at hotels that were spread&nbsp;throughout the city. In 1966, sections of the hotel were converted into office spaces and the hotel closed the following year. Despite the hotel's decline, Hotel Theresa remains an important fixture in African American history as the home of many civil rights organizations and the place that allowed Black visitors to network with one another and be treated with dignity.

The Hotel Theresa was built from 1912 to 1913. Although the original owner barred African American guests, the hotel became one of the most important centers of Black cultural, economic, and civic life in Harlem after Love B. Woods, an African American businessman, purchased the building and opened it to all guests. During the 1940s and 1950s, Hotel Theresa was one of the few full-service hotels in the city that truly welcomed African American guests. As a result, musicians, political leaders, athletes, movie stars, and civil rights activists usually stayed at Hotel Theresa when they visited the city. The hotel closed in 1967, the result of several factors including the end of segregation. The building remains one of the most beautiful in Harlem with its Terra Cotta exterior and grand architectural design. The hotel was built by the architectural firm of George and Edward Blum and served mostly as apartment complex for temporary residents. However, the hotel eventually welcomed traveling guest who were in town for short stays. The hotel also contained a two-story dining room that was used for banquets, weddings, meetings, and other functions along with a bar and grill that was a major gathering place for the Black residents of Harlem. 

During the 1940s and 1950s, Hotel Theresa was recognized as the center of Harlem, hosting many prominent Black social, political, entertainment and sports figures, as well as many foreign diplomats. Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Joe Louis, and Josephine Baker were some of the visitors of the world-renowned hotel. Hotel Theresa was also home to important Harlem institutions, including the March Community Bookstore and Malcolm X's Organization of Afro-American Unity. The hotel is also famous for hosting Cuban president Fidel Castro, who chose to stay at the hotel while visiting New York. The building is now known as Theresa Towers and home to apartments and office spaces. 

Hotel Theresa

In 1968, artists, community members, and philanthropists came together to establish a museum that would support artists and their education&nbsp;while showcasing their work to the public. Thus, the Studio Museum in Harlem was founded, and since then, it has become world renowned&nbsp;for&nbsp;its efforts to establish ethnically diverse artists by promoting their work. A wide variety of artists&nbsp;have flourished because of the incredible opportunities they have been given at the Studio Museum.&nbsp; The&nbsp;Artist-In-Residence program&nbsp;is an&nbsp;initiative that demonstrates the basic mission of the Museum. This eleven-month program offers three&nbsp;up-and-coming&nbsp;artists from all over the world&nbsp;a stipend and twenty-four-hour access to a free studio located on the third floor of the Museum. These artists are also required to use the studio at least twenty hours a week and participate in the Museum's public&nbsp;programs. When the eleven-month program comes to a close, the artist's work is presented in an exhibition at the Museum. The&nbsp;Artist-In-Residence program has become a significant part of the Museum's history&nbsp;and has helped over one hundred artists of African and Latino descent (including&nbsp;Chakaia Booker, David Hammons, Kerry James Marshall, Julie Mehretu, Wangechi Mutu, Mickalene Thomas and Kehinde Wiley) establish themselves in the art community. The Museum's approximately 2,000 piece collection includes paintings, watercolors, sculptures, drawings, prints, pastels, photographs, mixed-media works, and installations. Exhibitions help to expand visitor's knowledge of modern and contemporary art by artists of African descent. Some past exhibition titles&nbsp;include&nbsp;Harlem Postcards, Body Language, No Filter, Video Studio, Things in Themselves, Brothers and Sisters, and so many others. The acquisition of these pieces comes from either donations or purchases by the Museum's Acquisition Committee. Many of the pieces in the Museum's collection have come from artists who were previously in the&nbsp;Artist-In-Residence program, such as&nbsp;Romare Bearden, Robert Colescott, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Chris Ofili, Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, Kara Walker and Hale Woodruff. In addition to the Studio Museum's physical presence, the staff&nbsp;also&nbsp;publishes &nbsp;Studio,&nbsp;it's biannual magazine, produces books, exhibition catalogs, and brochures, making it a&nbsp;"leader in scholarship about artists of African descent."1&nbsp;The cultural and social significance of the Museum makes it one of a kind.&nbsp;The Studio Museum in Harlem has become&nbsp;a true advocate of ethnically diverse artists by offering great educational opportunities, as well as opportunities for their&nbsp;works to become part of the Museum's collections.&nbsp;

Since its founding, the Studio Museum in Harlem has been known for supporting artists of African and Latino descent by giving them opportunities to build and showcase their talent. Innovative initiatives that push for diversity and education showcase the mission of the Studio Museum. Its permanent collection has close to two thousand pieces of art from various mediums. They also offer tours to the public, educational programs, and exhibitions. 

The Studio Museum in Harlem 

Langston Hughes was born James Mercer Langston Hughes in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902. &nbsp;As a child, Hughes moved around from place to place. He spent his early years living with his grandmother before moving with his mother to Illinois and then to Ohio. While living with his mother and stepfather in Illinois, Hughes became interested in writing. Soon after, he spent time with his father living in Mexico. He developed an interest in writing and pursued different endeavors. In 1921, Hughes attended Columbia University and later transferred to Lincoln University. Also, Hughes took on many jobs to make a living. Those jobs include busboy, assistant cook, and launderer.&nbsp; As Hughes continued his studies his passion for writing grew. He traveled outside of the country and met with African American writers and discussed their literary works. He learned more and more and grew greater at his craft. This led to Hughes' interest in Harlem in New York, New York and the Harlem Renaissance.&nbsp; Langston Hughes became a very influential writer during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that involved many Black writers during the time. He used his writing to speak on the issues of the African-American community and culture. His critically acclaimed literary works include "Not Without Laughter" in which he won the Harmon medal for literature. Also during his lifetime, Hughes wrote eleven plays and other literary works. Hughes suffered from prostate cancer and passed away on May 22, 1967.&nbsp; The Langston Hughes house is located in the neighborhood of Harlem on 20 East 127 Street in New York City. The house is important due to &nbsp;Hughes spending 20 years of his life living in the home and it is where he spend a lot of time writing some of his most influential literary works. Hughes occupied the top level of the house while the lower level was occupied by a married couple. In Harlem, the Borough Media President, Shon Miller, Cary Out President, Marc Cary, and Motema Records President, Jana Herzen came together to create something special for the community. They created a non-profit organization and worked together to give back to the community.The Langston Hughes House that was built in 1869, was restored and became and museum. Unfortunately, years later the museum was closed due to the lack of funds. Even so, the house remains in honor of the life of Langston Hughes as a reminder of his literary works that have gained recognition.

Poet and writer Langston Hughes was one of the leading artists of the Harlem Renaissance--an artistic movement among African American artists, poets, and writers that occurred during the 1920s and 1930s. Raised in Kansas, Hughes experienced racial discrimination within the racially-integrated schools and relatively liberal community of Lawrence. After moving several times, Hughes settled in a Black enclave in Harlem--a community that nurtured his talents and challenged him to explore themes of racial equality. Hughes' literary work helped articulate the views and ideas of African Americans during the era of segregation. Although it is not open to the public, the home of Langston Hughes can be viewed from the street and is located in the center of Harlem. Hughes occupied the top level of the urban row house for about twenty years --a period when Hughes produced some of his most influential works.

Langston Hughes' House

In 1940, the American Negro Theater was formed by founding members Abram Hill and Fredrick O’Neal in Harlem, New York. It was a product of the Negro unit of the federal Theater project. There was a desire to establish a permanent acting company specializing theater that also catered to the special skills of African-American performers and culture. At this time, there was a lack of representation in this art form. The Theater's objective was to produce plays that reflected accurately and truthfully contemporary Black life. The company members prided themselves on being trailblazers and delighted in guiding other companies that followed in their footsteps. The earliest officers elected to hold positions in the company were Hill (artistic director/playwright), O’Neal (company manager), and John O’Shaughnessy. Theatrical technicians were Perry Watkins, Charles Sebree, and Roger Furman.ANT’s program was divided into three categories: stage production, training, and radio program. Stage productions included On Striver’s Row by Abram Hill (September 1940), Natural Man by Theodore Browne (May 1941), On Striver’s Row, the musical version, by Hill (March 1941), Three is a Family by Phoebe and Henry Ephron (November 1943), which transferred to Broadway (April 1944), Anna Lucasta by Philip Yourdan, adapted by Abram Hill (June 194), Garden of Time by Owen Dodson (March 1945), Henri Christophe by Dan Hammersmith (June 1945), Home is the Hunter by Samuel Kootz (January 1946), On Striver’s Row by Abram Hill, (revived in February 1946), Angel Street by Patrick Hamilton (July 1946), Juno and the Paycock by Sean O’Casey (July 1946), You Can’t Take It with You by Moss Hart and George Kaufman (August 1946), The Peacemaker by Kurt Unkelbach (November 1946), Tin Top Valley by Walter Carroll (March 1947), The Later Christopher Bean by Sidney Howard (July 1947), Rope by Eugene O’Neill (July 1947), The Show Off by George Kelly (August 1947), Rain by John Colton and Clemence Randolph (December 1947), The Washington Years by Nat Sherman (March 1948); Sojourner Truth by Katherine G. Chaplin (April 1949), Almost Faithful by Harry Wagstaff Gribble (June 1948), Riders to the Sea by John Millington Synge, and Freight by Kenneth White (February 1949). The play that brought ANT the most recognition, however, was Anna Lucasta. It opened at The Harlem Library Theatre, but Broadway producers were anxious to move it downtown because of its commercial appeal. The show ran on Broadway for 957 performances before it toured throughout the country and later abroad in London, England. The success of Anna on Broadway had a two-fold effect on the company. It caused the demise of ANT because it departed from the company’s community roots and resulted in the loss of its founder Hill, who resigned due to the shift in goals and ideology.   Many company members left the ensemble and had immediate success. Ruby Dee, after leaving, was in the hit Broadway production of A Raisin in The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Sidney Portier, also had a turbulent stint with the company, being rejected by ANT twice. He finally managed to prove himself and gained roles with the company after fellow member, Belefonte, left a show for another job. Sidney had major success in a touring production and began his film career shortly after. Harry Belefante, in his time with the company, was one of the most revered members of the acting ensemble. He also left for stardom shortly after his arrival.  The educational portion of the company was very extensive and rigid. It provided many young talented African-American stage actors with training in all elements of theater, film, and radio. In 1945, the theater was the first to have its own radio show featuring performances of different operas and a variety show. The theater began to lose its relevancy around this time but managed to produce work well into the mid-1950s. The American Negro Theater brought awareness to Black artists of the time and exposed many people to the culture of African-American theater.

The American Negro Theater was the first all African-American resident theater company in the U.S. During its active years, the resident acting ensemble members included Ruby Dee, Sidney Portier, and Harry Belefonte. The American Negro Theater utilized a variety of venues, including the basement of the New York Public Library.

American Negro Theater, 1930-1955

Marcus
Garvey Park is located at the site of one of the oldest public squares in Manhattan. This section of public land&nbsp;has
been central to the life of Harlem for centuries and dates back to the&nbsp;early colonial period.&nbsp;Dutch settlers referred to
the park as Snake Hill (or Slangberg) due to its reptile population. British
fortifications on the site guarded the Harlem River during the Revolutionary
War. In 1835, the Common Council considered razing the hilly area to accommodate
new streets, but the local citizens petitioned to preserve it as a public park
in which was successful. The park opened as Mount Morris Park in 1840, now known
as Marcus Garvey Park. The park was originally part
of the estate of Metje Cornelius Kortright and is rumored to have gotten the
name “Morris Park” in affiliation with the elected mayor in 1841, Robert
Morris. The park itself dates back to the 1811 Commissioners' Plan for
Manhattan. &nbsp;

Marcus Garvey was one of the founders of the Black
nationalist movement in the early twentieth century. Garvey was born in St.
Ann’s Bay, Jamaica on August 17, 1887 and immigrated to Harlem in 1916, where
in 1918 Garvey established the headquarters of the UNIA. Garvey started the
UNIA (United Negro Improvement Association) in which became the first modern
Black nationalist organization in 1914. The UNIA boasted over 800 chapters in
which supported Garvey’s message of Black economic self-sufficiency. At the
UNIA’s first convention, Garvey declared his plans to build an independent
nation for Black Americans in West Africa. The UNIA promoted Black economic
self-sufficiency, establishing Black-owned businesses, and publishing the Negro
World newspaper. To finance these projects, Harvey created his own shipping
line called the Black Star Shipping Line. Though, Harvey was later convicted of
mail fraud in which after serving two years of prison was deported to Jamaica. 

Marcus
Garvey Park is a meeting place for neighbors, a holy place for members of local
churches, and a loved area for schoolchildren. As
the park’s natural features have been preserved, a number of architectural elements
and improvements were done in time. After three decades of unimprovement’s to
the park, in the 1930s Robert Moses, parks Commissioner, partnered with the
Federal Works Progress Administration, installed terraces, stairs, a system of
stone walls, and playgrounds in which remain today. In the 1960s the
City constructed a recreation center, an amphitheater, and a pool. In 1856 a fire watchtower was created by Julius Kroehl in which was
designated a landmark in 1967. Mount Morris Park was renamed for Marcus
Garvey in 1973.

Originally known as Mount Morris Park, the Harlem park was renamed in 1973 by the City Council in honor of the Black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey was one of the most influential African Americans of the early 20th century and the founder of the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914. The UNIA supported the idea of Black communities creating cooperative businesses and organizations as well as separation from whites both economically, socially, and politically. This philosophy was best expressed in Garvey's calls to return to Africa and economic independence within Black communities throughout the United States and beyond.

Harlem History Tour: African American History in New York City

The Harlem YMCA

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information