Why Harlem is a Masterclass of Resilience

This past month I got to spend some time in Harlem and I was reminded of the resilience my people have endured throughout our history in America and what it means to have evidence of greatness to reference when facing new hard times.

So I’m currently driving through Harlem, and this is one of my favorite areas of New York City. Today, it’s probably even more important that I experience Harlem.

The reason why I love Harlem and why it’s one of my favorite areas of New York City is because of what it culturally represented to the black community, for so many years. For so many years, black people faced levels of oppression that was systemic. It was literally, like, the bylaws of this country. Harlem is the area where a true, genuine black renaissance happened, where there was poetry, dance, art. This is the birthplace of jazz. Like Harlem is culturally where black people thrived in spite of difficult circumstances in this country.

And I think about that now as I walk around Harlem. You can feel that history. The streets are named after some of those black historical figures. Some of the buildings are named after some of the black historical figures. The Apollo Theater, where a lot of these black creatives got their start. I just went by and visited the Apollo Theater. Our food was different in Harlem. Like, Harlem is the home of so much black culture that was birthed and thrived, amongst very difficult circumstances.

And I think this area is physical evidence that when black people, when we face hard circumstances, as we will very likely face, we have a history of thriving. We have a history of surviving, and even thriving, when times are challenging.

So I’m so glad that I came to Harlem the day after the election and got reminded of how resilient and strong and powerful our culture is.