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50 years later, Harlem Week shows how the New York neighborhood went from crisis to renaissance

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NEW YORK (AP) — In 1974, Harlem’s deserted streets and crumbling tenements told the story of a neighborhood left behind. Decades of disinvestment had led to a mass exodus generally known as urban flight, with residents watching as their wealthier, more educated counterparts abandoned the New York borough en masse.

But that modified when Percy Sutton, then Manhattan borough president and New York City’s highest-ranking black elected official, launched a campaign to revitalize the historically African-American neighborhood, which was generally known as a world mecca for black art, culture and entrepreneurship.

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It became generally known as Harlem Week, intended to bring back those that had left. On Sunday, organizers celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Harlem Week after 18 days of free programming that showcased all the iconic neighborhood had to offer.

Harlem Week has been “a constant for the last 50 years in America’s most historic black neighborhood,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose National Action Network is headquartered in the neighborhood. “The dream of Percy Sutton and his peers in government, the arts, the church and other elements of Harlem lives on, stronger than ever.”

In the Seventies, Harlem needed greater than a festival if it wanted to be reborn. Those who remained in Harlem because it fled to the city—mostly low-income black families—turned on their televisions to watch a relentless stream of despair: crime reports, grim statistics, and reporters who called their home a “sinking ship.”

Sutton knew that Harlem was about to experience an invigorating and uplifting moment.

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That summer, Sutton gathered religious, political, civic, and artistic leaders, including Tito Puente, Max Roach, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Lloyd Williams, and together they envisioned an event that will shift the highlight from Harlem’s problems to its living legacy: Harlem Day.

Radio hosts Hal Jackson and Frankie Crocker hosted a concert on the plaza at the Harlem State Office Building, while actor Ossie Davis cut the ribbon at the intersection of 138th Street and seventh Avenue, announcing the starting of a “Second Harlem Renaissance.”

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, seventh Avenue was renamed Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, in honor of the first African American elected to Congress from New York. It was the first time a street in New York City had been named after an individual of color.

“About two or three weeks later, Percy Sutton called us all and said it had been a great success,” said Lloyd Williams, one in all the co-founders of Harlem Day and current president of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. “It meant so much to other cities that were emptying out, Detroit and Baltimore, Washington and Chicago, that they asked if we would do it again every year.”

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And so it did, and Harlem Day morphed into Harlem (*50*), and eventually Harlem Week, which grew right into a full month of programming before the pandemic.

“Only in Harlem could a week be longer than seven days,” said Williams, whose family has lived in Harlem since 1919.

This 12 months’s celebration featured entertainment including a performance by hip-hop star Fabolous, a tribute to Harry Belafonte and Broadway shows. Other live shows showcased the jazz, reggae, R&B and gospel traditions nurtured in Harlem, and a whole lot of food and merchandise vendors.

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Organizers also included empowerment initiatives, comparable to financial education workshops and health screenings at Harlem Health Village and the Children’s Festival. Every child who attended the event received a college backpack.

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Harlem Week has all the time been a vibrant tribute to Harlem’s history, to great figures like WEB Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Augusta Savage and Aaron Douglas. It recognizes the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement, and honors landmarks like the Apollo Theater and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Many historians consider the late Sixties and Seventies to be the darkest years in Harlem’s history.

The area was hit by riots, including the 1964 riot by which an unarmed black teenager was killed, the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X, and the 1968 riots following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Household incomes declined dramatically, and the infant mortality rate was high.

“The neighborhood was run-down,” recalled Malik Yoba, an actor born in the Bronx in 1967 who grew up in Harlem and spent his days playing in the filth of vacant lots. Yoba went to school on the Upper East Side with peers who had country houses in the Hamptons.

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“I didn’t understand why the place we lived looked so dramatically different from the place they lived,” he said. “I knew something was wrong.”

But Harlem residents are creative and entrepreneurial, visionaries and leaders. Where others saw decline, they saw opportunity, and the determination to match Harlem’s potential was high.

Yoba, now 56, built a profession as an actor bringing Harlem to audiences across the country. His experiences with housing inequality also fueled his passion for real estate.

Yoba combats the effects of redlining through his company, Yoba Development, which connects young people of color to the industry and has lively projects in Baltimore and New York.

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“When you grow up in disenfranchised and disenfranchised communities, you can’t see the forest through the trees,” Yoba said. “You can grow up believing that walking past burned-out buildings is your birthright, as opposed to understanding that building is a business.”

Hazel Dukes, 92, a distinguished New York civil rights activist and Harlem resident for 30 years, dedicated her life to fighting discrimination in housing and education. She lived in the same Harlem constructing as Sutton and arranged with him, later becoming national president of the NAACP in 1989.

“I know what it’s like to be outcast,” said Dukes, who was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, during Jim Crow segregation before moving to New York along with her parents in the Nineteen Fifties.

Today, Harlem real estate is coveted due to gentrification and the neighborhood’s enduring cultural appeal.

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“There was a waiting list because everyone wanted to live in Harlem,” Dukes said. “People wanted to come to Harlem before they passed on from this world.”

 

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com

Lifestyle

Tunde Oyeneyin Peloton about what to do when you don’t feel like moving

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“I wanted to run this morning, but I didn’t do it because my body said you didn’t need it,” explained a 39-year-old fitness star, adding that she did some mobility as a substitute on her foam roller.

“I worked. I felt my heart rate was growing. I felt a little sweat, but I poured love for my body, not burden my body just because the plan said that I should run this morning – she continued. “Listening to your body sometimes means deviating from the plan and you provide you with a brand new plan.”

Listening to your body just isn’t just about how you feel physically. Among the social, political and economic climate, finding motivation to move the body might be difficult.

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“I am the same as a person,” said Oyeneyin. “When I feel hard outside, I feel it in myself, in my heart, in my body. Sometimes the heaviness of the world shows in my body. “

When the world becomes overwhelming, the teacher said that he gives himself a grace.

“I do know that sometimes when the world feels heavy and feels dark, movement just isn’t what I need to do and permit myself. I devote just a few days I would like, after which I’m within the space where I can finally see and keep in mind that movement can be what leads me through a storm. Movement can be what gives me grace to see the sunshine on the opposite side – she noted.

Oyeneyin, who has been in Peloton for six years, is a strength on the earth of fitness. Powerhouse instructor and creator have experience as a star makeup, and once fought for doubt before she got here up with the movement. Her book “Speak: Find your voice, trust the intestines and go from the place where you are, where you want to be” Chronicle of her journey to confidence.

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“When I move, whether it’s 10 minutes or an hour, I feel something in my body that I have never done before. There is lightness. The weight is metaphorically raised – she said.

On days when she is attached to the time or little motivation, she noticed that she would force herself to move for 10 minutes and suggests that others would try.

“99,99999% of time, I exceed 10 minutes” – added the creator. “The mind and body began to connect.”

Apart from that, Peloton applicationShe said, she is filled with motivation to move.

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“I don’t think there is something in the application that you will not take motivation,” said Oyeneyin, adding: “Are you a skier and you want to build strength, we have it in the application. If you are a golfer and want to strengthen the golf game, we have it in the application. If the world feels heavy and you need to reset and you need 10 or 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation, we have it in the application. “

For her, she said that mediation is coming running.

“Running is a spot where I find peace and consolation on the earth. There I can concentrate on my breath and training – she explained.

She continued: “And for many people whom I am lucky to follow me on the platform, they find their relief on a bike. So everyone is something for themselves, no matter who you are. “

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Movement and exercise can cost a small cost for some: their glam. Some allow the fear of sweating hair to stop them from harder during training.

“Although I don’t want to sweat, I also want my carved arms,” ​​said Oyeneyin.

“I’m in front of the camera. I work in front of a life camera. So I understand – continued the athlete Nike. “I try, I might like to look cute, but at the tip of the day, if you force me to select one between the opposite, I need to be strong. I can sweat and be sexy. “

Have you already abandoned your fitness goals in the new year? Peloton's instructor Adrian Williams has some tips

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Brigette Romanek debuts the “glamous” collection in Crate & Barrel

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The well-known interior designer Brigette Romanek introduces her first collection with Crate & Barrel-54-part line that mixes glamor and ease, bringing a classy, but relaxed touch of a beloved house seller.

After presenting your knowledge about interior design with stars clients, similar to Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Kelly Rowland, Crate & Barrel, Romanek tapped to create a collection that embodies her characteristic funny aesthetics inspired by California.

“We are all so busy in our daily lives that thanks to my approach to design, I want people to stop and breathe when entering any room,” Romanek he said . “Working, Crate & Barrel and I both shared a true passion to encourage beautiful moments through the design, and everything, from furniture to decorations in this collection, are aimed at supporting this calming lifestyle.”

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Celebrated for easily combining aesthetics with functionality, the CRATE & Barrel Romanek collection is rooted in a timeless design with visually nice surprises and thoroughly created to make sure peace and flexibility in any space. Her knowledge about mixing various materials shines in wealthy layers of travertine, historic brass and bleached forests.

“The process of cooperation with Brigette was so inspiring and we had the honor to bring her a unique vision, bold creativity and artistically selected style for our clients,” said Sebastian Brauer, senior vp of CRATE & Barrel. “This collection seems effective and relaxed, combining modern, clean lines with natural and luxurious materials.”

Chest and barrel expressed His emotions during the announcement of the collection on Instagram on February 20.

“Confession: We have been keeping it secret for a year, and today! 🎉 @brigetteromaniac X @Crateandbarrel The collection is here! “The seller signed his position.

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“This is not your average cooperation. Think brave and vibey – just like the amazing designer star herself. We love how it is about abandoning the rules of designing and creating a house that seems to be super personal: “Returning home should feel like a breath. Like entering your individual sanctuary. “

From plush chocolate velvet sofas at a price from 2499 to USD 2,899 to Oak Wood Credenzas (1999 USD) and chest of drawers (2,699 USD), Brigette Romanek for the CRATE & Barrel collection adds luxury to each space. Store Collection in Crate & Barrel, while the supplies are last.

(Tagstotransate) Brigette Romanek

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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“Rhop” stars react to the judgment of Karen Huger, because the series announces that it plans to continue without a star

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“The Real Housewives of Potomac” will last without “Great Dame”, Karen Huger. After Huger was sentenced to a yr in prison for the fourth conviction of Dui, the sources reported People magazine That Bravo plans to go forward with the production of the tenth season of the series in the absence of the star. Bravo didn’t confirm or deny the reports.

“This is very terrifying, but I accept full responsibility for everything that happened with my car accident,” apparently Huger said after the sentences. “No, I’m not an alcoholic, let’s be clear.”

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Just as fans reacted to social media messages, some of the solid members publicly spoke publicly about their reactions at the end of Huger’s legal saga.

“My jaw has fallen,” said Wendy Osefo People magazine. “I couldn’t believe it. At the end of the day we can have our differences, but I always wish it well and I just keep her in prayer, 100%. “

Similarly, Ashley Darby recalls crying “like a child” when she discovered before her Exposing yourself at the Tamron Hall show.

“I really encourage everyone to keep Karen in your prayers,” said Hall. “I really care.”

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For Gizelle Bryant, who began her profession Real Housewives in Huger in 2016, the legal “Grand Dame” fights caused a lot of emotions. After breaking away from the video from Huger during the Rhop congress, Bryant shared her response to the most legal verdict of the star during her “Gizelle 21 questions live” on Wednesday.

“It happened today. I do not have her wig. I’m nervous – she joked US weekly. “I’m shocked … I’m seriously nervous about her safety. Karen shouldn’t be cut into prison, she added. “I pray that she is fine and that the Lord is with her.”

Although Bravo has not confirmed or denied whether or not they would filmate Rhop without Huger, each Omefo and Bryant seem open to the possibility of continuing her absence.

“In this group we found a way to move with her presence and without her presence,” said Osefo. “Looking at the congress, I think that we maneuver in a positive way as an individual as an individual. I wish her all the best, but I think that the Potomac brand is still strong. “

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Karen Huger skipped Rhop season 9 rehabilitation exit

(Tagstranslate) Real Housewives of Potomac

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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