"Can we think of another neighborhood in the world that has the kind of resonance that Harlem has? Greenwich Village, and neighborhoods in London, but I think it's hard to beat Harlem."
—Robert O'Meally

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Special Feature: Treasures from the M. Moran Weston Papers
Rarely seen images from a 1945 Negro Freedom Rally are accompanied by video of Professor Manning Marable providing historical background on them. A short slide show of other images from the Weston papers is also included.

The Institute for Research in African-American Studies (IRAAS) Visit our Web site for information on upcoming events related to Harlem history.

Harlem has been home to a variety of ethnic groups, black and white, since the turn of the twentieth century. As the ethnic landscape has changed, cultural and religious buildings have been reshaped to serve the evolving populations. Harlem has been called a state of mind, but it is also a real place, remembered in oral histories, described in photographs, and evaluated by scholars.

The Plain and The Heights
Andrew Dolkart on the architecture and development of Harlem.

Harlem is Different
Kenneth Jackson on one of New York City's great ethnic neighborhoods.

A Forgotten Identity
When Harlem was Jewish.

Black Harlem Once Was News
New York Times, 1923: "Negro Colony Growing; 150,000 in Harlem Section"

My Community
Dorothy Height (1912– ) discusses her lifelong sense of commitment to the Harlem community.

A Lack Of Entrepreneurship
Bayard Rustin (1912–87) reflects on different ethnic groups with economic interests in Harlem.

The First Black Policeman Remembers
Samuel J. Battle (1883–1966) Manhattan's first African American policeman remembers being transferred to Harlem from San Juan Hill in 1913.