Because Harlem is widely regarded as the irreplaceable wellspring of black American culture, there is a painful sense among people who oppose a rezoning of the 125th Street corridor – which includes 124th and 126th Streets between Broadway and Second Avenue – that the changes touted by the Department of City Planning as a way to make it a more “vibrant commercial corridor” actually represent a threat not only to longtime residents, but also to a touchstone for people of African descent the world over.
“You’re talking about the geographic land mass which symbolizes the accomplishments, the struggle, the achievement and the longevity of the contributions of those of African descent,” said Dr. Vicky Gholson, a member of West Harlem's Community Board 9.
Harlem’s cultural significance and storied streets, coupled with the past and present pressures of gentrification, make the stakes in this fight against change astronomically high for those who oppose it. If their fears are realized, there will be widespread displacement of residents, businesses and cultural institutions. Many also perceive a threat to the political power that Harlem has wielded. Some even see the plan as part of a broader scheme to remove people of color from New York City and other urban centers in the country.
Ask Sikhulu Shange, owner of the long-threatened Record Shack on 125th Street, and he will shoot off a list of social movements that began on the same street where he's struggling to stay. Malcolm X, black nationalist Marcus Garvey and pioneering pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana all have come to Harlem, he says. Shange, who sells music from Africa and the African diaspora, has been battling to hold on to his store for more than a decade, and is now fighting to maintain Harlem’s character too.
“Harlem has been a focal point of liberation activities for Africa as well as for human rights and civil rights here in America,” said Shange, a South African in business in Harlem for decades. He now chairs the recently formed Coalition to Save Harlem.
At a town hall meeting called by the coalition on March 29, Shange attempted to put the threat of displacement into historical context. “We have been detained…from the continent of Africa to the American shores and now we are on the sidewalks of Harlem and somebody else is still trying to tell us that we are one-third of a human being. That’s no good!” he roared to a riled-up audience at the Oberia Dempsey Center on 127th Street.
In the view of Nicole P. Marwell, an associate professor of sociology at Columbia University, the rezoning's reception is connected to past experience. “Historical legacies play an important role,” said Marwell. She noted that urban renewal has often been referred to as “Negro removal” since a large proportion of African-American communities have been impacted under urban planning structures. And Harlem residents in particular have faced displacement before.
In 1976, New York City's housing commissioner, Roger Starr, addressed urban decay with a policy of “planned shrinkage” – draining the resources from disadvantaged areas in order to decrease the population. Redlining – banks' denying of mortgages in generally minority neighborhoods – has historically been a roadblock for African-Americans wanting to buy homes in Harlem. In an ironic turnabout, now some residents feel under siege because many of Harlem's blocks have become sought-after real estate.
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To be sure, the 125th Street rezoning enjoys varying degrees of support in Harlem along with reaping criticism. The proposal is described by the Department of City Planning (DCP) as a way to “sustain the ongoing revitalization of 125th Street as a unique Manhattan Main Street, enhance its regional business district character and reinforce the street’s premier arts, culture, and entertainment destination identity."
