This article was written by Jennifer Ciotta
As I ventured out into the freezing cold this past Saturday, I almost ran back inside, put off by the wind gusts of 15-20 mph. Yet this deemed to be a special occasion, since this was the start of Black History Month and I was to take a walking tour of Harlem, focusing on the 1920's Renaissance period. This is an era which is the paramount of African American history, since these years established the black society in New York City and on a national level. Bringing pride to the African American community were incredibly talented musicians, artists, writers and various leaders in politics and civil rights. In the 1920's African Americans were thriving in Harlem, enjoying the benefits of living on Sugar Hill, a middle class section--a societal division which has a different connotation from the dying middle class of today's America. Throughout the tour I heard explanations of the poetry of Langston Hughes, the hair care products of self-made millionaire Madame C.J. Walker, Baptist churches, gospel choirs and even the long ago speakeasies and old time jazz clubs.
Yet the one thing which impressed me the most was the Renaissance which Harlem is undergoing today. Unfortunately, this upper section of Manhattan has suffered greatly since the 1920's, giving way to run down buildings and violent crime. Walking along, listening to the tour guide, I noticed brightly colored brownstones of such brilliance, I could not think of anywhere else I had seen such uplifting and positive paints. The streets were lively with vendors selling merchandise and cheerfully informing customers of how to get to Hamilton Heights or Bill Clinton's office. As we trekked up Sugar Hill, around West 135th Street, the illuminated brownstones gave way to a beautiful view, reminiscent of some I had seen in Europe with cathedral spires amidst modern apartment high rises. Back in the Harlem Renaissance, Sugar Hill was inhabited by the black middle class, which meant owning a multistory brownstone, complete with a live-in maid. Quite different from the modern day middle class of any race, it was difficult for me to fathom owning that much space in Manhattan, especially without copious amounts of money.
Battling the blustery conditions, we crossed over to the east side at 127 Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. The house is now owned privately thus we could only view the ivy crawling up the facade of the brownstone. As the guide shared with us, Hughes is one of the most translated poets in the United States, in fact, people enjoy his writing from fast-paced Asia to safari Africa. It is his poem "Harlem" from which theater and movie productions have been created. Crossing over every racial barrier, Hughes wrote these legendary lines:
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