Harlem could be called ‘presidential’. If we take the last three US presidents (Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama), two of them are associated with this famous New York neighbourhood. And they are not the only successful Americans to have spent time here. Harlem is synonymous with the African-American experience (although there is also a Spanish Harlem and, in the past, an Italian Harlem and a Jewish Harlem). These days Harlem is, however, becoming increasingly ‘white’.
all change
Harlem (which is the area of Manhattan to the north of Central Park) is changing dramatically, in terms of real estate (there are many new buildings under construction), as well as culture (the new Harlem Studio, for example), business (new restaurants, bars and offices) and social life.
Traditionally, white Manhattanites lived to the south of Central Park (Midtown and Downtown), or else on the Park’s West Side and East Side. The rents in those areas are now very high and people are moving uptown to Harlem. Former President Clinton began the trend when he left the White House in 2001. He opened his office and Foundation at 55 West 125th Street. Barack Obama’s relationship with Harlem goes back to the early 1980s, when he was a student at Columbia (its campus is at 116th Street).
poverty
Harlem is still predominantly black and proudly hosts the country’s largest African-American parade. Its gospel churches are world-famous and there are also mosques like the Masjid Aqsa, which was founded in 1996.
Yet Harlem remains a poor neighbourhood. There is a massive H&M store, but very few boutiques. If you go to the subway station at East 125th Street, you will see people standing in line at the used can machines, where they are happy to earn 5 cents for each of the empty cans they have collected. Life in Harlem is still tough.
Un'intervista con un'abitante di Harlem (con audio): My New Home: Harlem