The above photo of Harlem's 125th Street shows the main thoroughfare circa 1910 with families interacting on the commercial strip. The photo of the small newsboy was probably taken to inform folks of the child labor issues the city still had to face in those times. Nevertheless, it all seemed like a more languid time than the hustle and bustle that we are familiar with today. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
Monday, July 12, 2010
☞ REMEMBER: News on 125th Street circa 1910
The above photo of Harlem's 125th Street shows the main thoroughfare circa 1910 with families interacting on the commercial strip. The photo of the small newsboy was probably taken to inform folks of the child labor issues the city still had to face in those times. Nevertheless, it all seemed like a more languid time than the hustle and bustle that we are familiar with today. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
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I wonder whether at that time whites cried as loud as blacks do today to keep out the "other" race?
ReplyDeleteAt the turn of the century, much of the United States was highly segregated. Harlem was no different. African American's were not allowed to even step foot in many establishments. It was no not until the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920's that the neighborhood became more diverse and less segregated. Even in the years where Harlem had the most diversity of residents, there were race lines drawn and had pocket neighborhoods where minorities were expected to live within boundaries. Many African-Americans had jobs at the major establishments but were not allowed to be customers themselves at the place they worked. The Italian and Jews lived in their tenement neighborhoods on the East Side and had it only slightly better but were considered ethnic whites which were looked down upon. So yes, it was much worse. America was much worse in how minorities were treated since the majority supported segregation of neighborhoods, restaurants, theaters, etc...
ReplyDeleteThe Harlem of 1910 sure looks a lot cleaner!
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous 10:01 PM
ReplyDeleteWhen blacks started to move into Harlem in 1904 there was a huge 'outcry' among whites. On the front page of a newspaper the migration of blacks into Harlem was referred to as a "Negro Invasion" Many brownstone and townhouse owners, immediately set up 'restrictive covenants' against blacks seeking to purchase those homes. The Madames of the Sacred Heart, a convent of nuns which owned the property City College sits on today at Convent Ave., set up restrictive covenants against blacks as well. When blacks moved into Harlem in 1904, they paid up to 30% more per month for rent than whites did at that time.
Blacks have not cried loud as you call it in reference to their questionable status in Harlem!or "...to keep the other race out." Be fair now Anonymous. Blacks in all parts of Harlem have been overwhelmingly Welcoming of "...the other races" coming into Harlem. Don't set this up as something it is not. Do your homework and be careful of how you phrase things. Speak clearly & thoughtfully from you mind and not from somewhere else.
Greg -- agreed. Some isolated examples of hostility should not be generalized to a population, or equated with the systematic discrimination of the past.
ReplyDeleteWe should all feel fortunate that our present little resembles this past in many respects. Let's make sure the history is understood and respected, even as we work to build a brighter future for everyone in Harlem.