Harlem Bespoke: We noticed that West 125th Street had new banners up for Pride Month celebrating the LGBT icons of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes, Bessie Smith, Gladys Bentley, Claude McKay and Alain Lock are the African American icons who can now all be viewed on Harlem's main street. The Literary Giant, Empress of the Blues, The Brown Bomber of Sophisticated Songs and The Father of The Harlem Renaissance might not be familiar to the younger generations out there so hopefully this will bring about more awareness.
The West Harlem Development Corporation along with
The Gatekeepers Collective are behind the endeavor which works as public art but also affirms the LGBT identities of these cultural leaders who have all added to the rich history of uptown's past. Gay people have always been in Harlem but the history books often omit this important fact and so this is very much an important venture even a century later. For more on the installation, check out the official website:
TheGateKeepersCollective.com
HarlemBespoke.com 2019
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