Young Voices on a Changing East Harlem

A Community Conversation

by The Confined Arts at Another Choice Youth and Family Outreach

When a neighborhood changes, it usually means that working-class families get pushed out by wealthier folks moving in. This process is often described as “gentrification”. In the United States, given histories of segregation and disinvestment in communities of color, this gentrification usually happens along racial lines. Simply put, white people with money move in, and Black and Brown residents who have lived in a place for generations get forced out. When this happens, the whole feel of a neighborhood - its culture, its personality, and its soul - starts to change.

We wanted to understand what this looks like through the eyes of young people living through it all right now. So we sat down with the summer 2024 Community Service Learning Initiative cohort hosted by Another Choice Youth and Family Outreach. We focused on East Harlem, where these changes are happening day by day.

Keep scrolling to see East Harlem through the eyes of young people who call it home.

Our story begins at the 125 St Subway Station.

Historically significant, this subway station sits right where Lexington Avenue meets what’s now officially co-named Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.

Most folks still call it 125th Street, but back in 1984 the community fought to add Dr. King’s name to the boulevard. The name change wasn’t just about honoring Dr. King and his contributions to civil rights and social justice, though - It was also about showing respect more broadly for Black political struggle and activism in the surrounding New York City neighborhoods.

Take East Harlem for instance. Also known as El Barrio or Spanish Harlem, this neighborhood knows all about standing up for what’s right. Traditionally home to Black, Puerto Rican, and immigrant families, East Harlem has never been afraid to speak up. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, groups like the Black Panthers Party and the Young Lords Party got together right here to fight for better healthcare, better schools, and better housing.

Today, East Harlem is still mostly Black, Puerto Rican, and immigrant families. Local groups are still fighting for the community’s rights. But things are also starting to look different around here.

Don’t just take our word for it though, take it from Tihanna.

Sadly, the numbers back up what Tihanna sees. In just the last few years, median rents in East Harlem have shot up faster than almost anywhere else in Manhattan. According to city data, from 2019 to 2022 the median asking rent in the neighborhood increased by almost 20%. At the same time, East Harlem has some of the highest rates of eviction and homelessness in the city. Meanwhile, new “luxury” buildings keep popping up.

Bailey can tell you all about it.

And Bailey isn’t the only one who is noticing the new apartment buildings for new and richer people.

Elyssa sees it too - and knows that Harlem needs saving.

According to the data, East Harlem has lost more than one in five of its small businesses along 116th Street and Third Avenue. That’s family-owned shops that had been here for generations, gone. Meanwhile, the number of chain stores between 96th and 125th Street has shot up by 35% - the biggest jump in the whole city.

None of this is okay.

Sanaa knows it, and she isn’t afraid to say it how it is: they are rebranding the whole town.

Young people in East Harlem understand exactly what’s happening to their neighborhood. Maybe it’s time that we listen to them.

METHODOLOGY

This visual project uses art and audio recordings collected during August 2024 workshops on gentrification in East Harlem with young participants in the Community Service Learning Initiative at Another Choice Youth and Family Outreach. Participants were asked to visually explore gentrification in their neighborhood via art and then describe their pieces.

The code behind this application is freely available on GitHub.

This project was made possible through community and collaboration with all of the young participants in our summer 2024 Community Service Learning Initiative. Special thanks to Tihanna, Bailey, Elyssa, and Sanaa for sharing their art, perspectives, and experiences.