Harlem’s Duke Ellington, Photograph By Lee Tanner (video)

Duke Ellington When his drummer Sonny Greer was invited to join the Wilber Sweatman Orchestra in New York City, Ellington made the fateful decision to leave behind his successful career in Washington, D.C., and move to Harlem, becoming one of the figures of the Harlem Renaissance. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus Samuelsson Hosts “Community Conversation” At Harlem’s Red…

Harlem’s Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson

Ellsworth Raymond Johnson (October 31, 1905 – July 7, 1968) — known as “Bumpy” Johnson — was an American mob boss and bookmaker in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus Samuelsson Hosts “Community Conversation” At Harlem’s Red Rooster by Glenn Hunter.

Jazz vs. Racism By Greg Thomas

In the brief time that I’ve been posting blog entries to Integral Post, rarely have I explicitly discussed the issue of race, which, it seems to me, is a blindspot of the Integral community. Yet I intend, more and more, to visit the theme of race and view it through an Integral lens. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus…

Walter’s World: 2011 Harlem Fine Arts Show

By Walter Rutledge A civilization is ultimately defined not by what it does, but by what it leaves behind. It defines a people, and since antiquity speaks to the one race- the human race. The 2011 Harlem Fine Arts Show will present the fifteenth annual exhibition Friday, February 25 to Sunday February 27 in the…

Harlem’s Zora Neale Hurston 1891 – 1960

Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American folklorist and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance, best known for the 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Zora Neale Hurston on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus Samuelsson…

HW’s One On One With Robb Pair

Robb Pair The Harlem resident with a southern twang and a Harlem heart, owner of Harlem Lofts, President of The Manhattan MLS and VP of The Manhattan Association of REALTORS. Here, he talks about real estate, family and his love of Harlem. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus Samuelsson Hosts “Community Conversation” At Harlem’s Red Rooster by Glenn Hunter.

Walter’s World: Remembering Jimmy

By Walter Rutledge August 2, 2010 marked the eighty-sixth birthday of James Baldwin. For the second year in a row the Faison Firehouse Theater has chosen to step to the forefront and present Remembering Jimmy– a tribute to the late James Baldwin. Last year the celebration was a forum with colleagues and contemporaries, and family…

Oscar Micheaux Stamp Unveiling in Harlem

The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors pio­neering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) wrote, directed, produced, and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the…

Madam C.J. Walker

Madam C.J. Walker (December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an African-American businesswoman, hair care entrepreneur and philanthropist. She made her fortune by developing and marketing a hugely successful line of beauty and hair products for black women, under the company she founded, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus Samuelsson Hosts “Community Conversation”…

Mount Morris Park

Mount Morris Park Historic District was designated a historic district by New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1971. It is a large 16-block area in west central Harlem. The boundaries are West 118th and West 124th Streets, Fifth Avenue, and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue). “Doctor’s Row” comprises the nearby stretch of…

Sugar Hill

Sugar Hill is a historic district in the northern part of the Hamilton Heights section of Harlem in the New York City borough of Manhattan. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus Samuelsson Hosts “Community Conversation” At Harlem’s Red Rooster by Glenn Hunter.

East Harlem

East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is the eastern section of Harlem located in the northeastern extremity of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus Samuelsson Hosts “Community Conversation” At Harlem’s Red Rooster by Glenn Hunter.

Morningside Heights

Morningside Heights is a neighborhood of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City and is chiefly known as the home of institutions such as Columbia University, Teachers College, Barnard College, the Manhattan School of Music, Bank Street College of Education, “Grant’s Tomb”, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, the Riverside Church, the Broadway…

Walter Dean Myers: Memories of Harlem

Noted author Walter Dean Myers shares his memories of the Black Capital of the World. Harlem began in the 19th century as an upscale community for people who wanted gracious living but not Fifth Avenue prices. PHOTOGRAPHY Marcus Samuelsson Hosts “Community Conversation” At Harlem’s Red Rooster by Glenn Hunter.