Over the past few years in Harlem, empty lots have sprouted luxury condos instead of weeds. You’re almost as likely to stumble upon a crafted cocktail at an upscale restaurant, as you are shea butter offered by a street vendor.
But, going from a New Jack City dangerous image, to certain parts of Harlem being called the “New Williamsburg” (after a part of Brooklyn known for artsy youths), has come with controversy.
Gentrification is still a four-letter word as it often includes the process of new residents moving into a community and displacing lower-income residents. And yes, long-time residents of Harlem are being priced out.
Some worry that the resultant increase of non-black residents in Harlem threatens the rich culture that has flourished there since the neighborhood became predominately black over the course of the 20th century.
And while the story of Harlem’s on-going gentrification is often told in the press by blaming big retailers that are pushing out smaller stores, or wealthy, white residents who are rehabbing historic brownstones, what is being overlooked is that many of these architects of change are black.
Blacks gentrifying Harlem speak out
“The demographic that lives in Harlem now is a lot more affluent, educated and health-conscious than just a few years ago,” Nikoa Evans Hendricks, executive director of the merchant association Harlem Park to Park, told theGrio. “The new businesses that you see now are driven by demand. Different pockets of Harlem have different personalities, but overall you’re getting a savvier customer who is demanding high quality.”
Media professional Barion Grant is one of those savvy, African-American residents who has called Harlem home since 2001. “I’ve seen empty lots get filled with condos. I was fortunate to purchase one,” Grant said. “I’m a college-educated person from New Jersey who has moved to this community, so I’m fine with identifying myself as a gentrifier. But at the same time I’m re-investing in this community, mostly via my church, First Corinthian Baptist Church.”
Not every Harlem resident who is enjoying this economic renaissance is a New York City transplant. Bevy Smith, co-host of Bravo TV’s Fashion Queens, is a lifelong Harlem resident who appreciates many of the new changes in her community. “The fact that they redid the riverwalk on 125th street is just great. I just did the walk from 125th Street to 96th Street. It was a great walk. Once upon a time that walk was not possible because it was unsafe and unkempt,” said Smith. “Today, more businesses here accept credit cards. For someone like me who might have hundreds of dollars worth of dry cleaning at a time, being able to go to the dry cleaner’s and use my credit card is wonderful. There are little things you take for granted and I think it’s healthy for longtime residents of Harlem to see that the area is changing.”
African-American business owners enjoy renaissance
Of course not everyone in Harlem can afford the pricier restaurants and services, but Smith maintains that there is something for everyone. “I pray that there will always be places like Melba’s, Sylvia’s and Corner Social where you can get a meal for $30. You will also see more places like Minton’s where the prix fixe menu is a $90 four-course meal. Do you need to do that every night? No, but you shouldn’t have to go downtown to do something fabulous and chic,” said Smith.
“Harlem is now really kind of experiencing its second renaissance,” Richard Parsons, former CEO of Time Warner, said in a recent interview with New York Magazine,. “It’s coming up after a long winter’s sleep. But this time it’s different. The renaissance of the twenties was intellectual. This is a commercial one.”
Parsons, an African-American man, is the current owner of Harlem’s new Cecil restaurant and the renovated jazz club Minton’s. Minton’s is in part a gentrification project, but also a labor of preservation. The club originally dates back to the birth of bee bop jazz, and is seen as its space of origination.
Brian Washington Palmer, owner of the restaurant Native, a Harlem locals’ favorite, noted the relationship between eateries and different types of development. “The retail follows the bars and restaurants. That in turn creates a more walkable environment and people get to ‘discover’ different options in the neighborhood,” said Palmer, who will be closing Native and opening La Bodega 47 Social Club in mid-December at the same Harlem location. La Bodega 47 Social Club will be a lounge that focuses more on appetizers and cocktails than meals as Native did.
A cultural revolution garners interest
Food and drink are not the only ways that communities like Harlem have seen a re-awakening. Dr. Khalil Muhammad, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has been capitalizing on the renewed interest in Harlem to revive audiences for the repository of black history it houses.
“All cultural institutions have a responsibility to help to shape and define a community,” Dr. Muhammad told theGrio. “They are critical to connecting people to something more than the space they live in and shop in.”
Community-friendly programs have helped to triple the Schomburg’s number of visitors since 2009. A hip-hop education think tank, an exhibition on Africans in India and a summer youth program are just some of the initiatives that have been attracting an increasing number of largely multi-cultural visitors.
“We hold the leading archives of the global black experience — Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and beyond. Black people have helped make this world as inclusive, fair and just as possible. We want to continue to share that story and protect that legacy,” added Dr. Muhammad.
Blacks also displacing Harlemites
Yes, Harlem is becoming more chic and culturally stimulating due to an array of influences powered by monied African-Americans. Yet, restaurants and related entertainments there are still a very big business — and surprisingly political in their operation. “Forty-four percent of the businesses that are part of Harlem Park to Park are in the food and drink industry,” said Hendricks.
It should thus come as no surprise that one of the most controversial projects in Harlem right now involves the possible displacement of restaurants owned by blacks — by a historically African-American organization.
The National Urban League, one of the black community’s most storied civil rights organizations, has a proposal to relocate its national headquarters to 121 West 125th Street.
In addition to offices, the project includes retail space, housing (at both subsidized and market rates), and a civil rights museum. If constructed, the civil rights museum would be the first in the state of New York.
Most are excited about the cultural institution moving back to Harlem where it started over 100 years ago — but there is a big issue tied to this development.
The space the National Urban League would like to acquire is already inhabited by a handful of small, locally-owned businesses. The plan calls for the demolition of the current structure. The businesses say they would not be able to afford the increased rent for the new spaces.
The irony of blacks pushing blacks out
This could be a case of African-American gentrifiers potentially displacing other African-Americans.
“I feel bad when I see black-owned businesses in the community that don’t survive. From a community-building standpoint, we should be supporting entrepreneurs by helping with long-term business plans and encouraging sustainable growth,” said Grant who feels that Harlem should have a “creative hub” that sustains innovative businesses as a cultural incubator – while also being tastefully decorated with plaques that commemorate Harlem’s history.
He is not alone in the concern that even black development of Harlem may deteriorate the presence of long-term entities.
At a spirited public hearing about the National Urban League project in November, New York State Senator Bill Perkins voiced his numerous concerns.
“The plan before us displaces a number of small businesses who have built up equity in a community that is now thriving; they are being shown the curb without any guarantees to return, or be compensated,” Perkins said in his official testimony about the project. “Kicking out several businesses to bring in one anchor tenant does not afford maximum opportunity for participation.”
National Urban League President and former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial spoke at the beginning of the hearing about the benefits of the project, and the fact that the move would actually mean the return of the National Urban League to Harlem, where the organization was founded in 1910 — a momentous occassion.
Most of the speakers expressed their support of the spirit of the project and the mission of the New York Urban League, but like State Senator Perkins, their main concern was ensuring that the current business owners at the proposed location are properly compensated for any losses.
A plan to displace blacks businesses progresses
Despite these criticisms, the Public Authorities Control Board has approved the $225 million project. Construction is slated for 2015, but State Senator Perkins has vowed to sue in order to get what he considers to be fair treatment for the current business tenants, which includes many restaurant owners.
The future of these businesses, and other long term African-American entities in Harlem, is unknown. The only thing constant about Harlem in the past few years has been change.
These changes have come with a fair amount of controversy as some indigenous businesses owners and residents find themselves priced out and new Harlem residents and business owners try to responsibly helm whatever comprises the next phase of Harlem’s growth.
Like many communities across the country, Harlem is struggling to maintain the cultural identity that it is known for, while remaining progressive and flexible enough to sustain itself as more changes inevitably come in the future.
Dr. Muhammad hopes that the multifarious qualities of this community will be a foundation upon which all members of this changing place can flourish. “The exciting thing about Harlem is that it’s an international community,” he said. “It has always had a rich tradition of embracing diverse people.”
Diversity — both cultural and economic — is certainly going to be part of Harlem’s fabric for years to come.
Follow Demetria Irwin on Twitter at @Love_Is_Dope and connect with her on Facebook.