What an incredible video from Harlem Heritage Tours about Harlem man Wilbur, as he talks on the history of the Harlem Numbers industry or “the Harlem numbers game” in Harlem and it’s history.
Check out the video below:
Francis A. J. Ianni, in his book Black Mafia: Ethnic Succession in Organized Crime writes:
“By 1925 there were thirty black policy banks in Harlem, several of them large enough to collect bets in an area of twenty city blocks and across three or four avenues.”
By 1931, there were several big-time numbers operators, James Warner, Stephanie St. Clair, Casper Holstein, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, Wilfred Brunder, Jose Miro, Joseph Ison, Masjoe Ison, and Simeon Francis. The game survived despite periodic police crackdowns.
To see more videos from the Harlem Heritage Tours click here.
Related Articles
The Embroidered Harlem World Cap Is Here!
Markquis Nowell, Your Classic Top Point Guard – Tough, Flair, And From Harlem
3 Ways Parents Can Encourage Social-Emotional Learning From Harlem To Hollis
Elected, Advocates Demand The Passage Of The Access To Representation Act
5 Common Types Of Personal Injury Cases You Need To Know
60 Years Of Orquesta Broadway At City College Center For The Arts And Q&A
VIDEO
Harlem Cultural Archives is a donor and foundation-supported Historical Society, Its mission is to create, maintain and grow a remotely accessible, online, interactive repository of audio-visual materials documenting Harlem’s remarkable and varied multicultural legacies, including its storied past as well as its continuing contributions to the City and State of New York, the nation, and the world. Support Harlem Cultural Archives and click here to get more Harlem History, Thank you.