Our History
History
When we began, in 2015, our work was, chiefly, focused on 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue, but, over time, due to the input of our neighbors, we broadened the scope to include Harlem, in general. And in including more of Harlem, we seek to expand the panorama of its historical narrative, because the lens continues to be tightly focused on the Renaissance of the 1920s; the ravages of 1960s/70s-era drug addiction and dealing (and later, the crack epidemic); the crime and poverty; and now gentrification—but Harlem, in reality, is so much more than all of these things.
We are not attempting to downplay or negate the realities of the preceding, but we are attempting to expand the perspective to reflect a resilient community of people, who lived, worked, thrived, and engaged in activities such as coaching little league teams, seeing to it that their children were educated, and who curated art shows in church basements and storefronts or on the sidewalk.
Timeline (2015-2020)
March
Founded at 555 Edgecombe Avenue; hired researcher to uncover residents of 409 and 555
May
New York Live Arts served as fiscal sponsor
August - September
“We’re Still Here,” photo exhibit co-sponsor with Leroy Neiman Gallery
October
Community Forum I: What Should Harlem’s History Look Like in the Future?
Tsion Café.
November
Incorporated in New York State
December
“A Push to Preserve the Legacy of Harlem’s Sugar Hill,” New York Times
February
Community Forum II: Report Back to the Community—What Should Harlem’s History Look Like in the Future?
Tsion Café
March - April
Baldwin’s America Reading and Discussion Group with Herb Boyd (4-part series)
Tsion Café, Revolution Books
Spring, Summer
Oral History Tapings: June Benjamin, Playthell Benjamin, Norman Skinner, Judy Stafford, Tesfaye Tessema, Jane Wright
July - November
1st Season | When Sugar Hill Was Sweet: A Centennial Celebration of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue (Arts and Humanities Programming)
The Harrises of Harlem: Eight Generations: The Mildred Harris Jackson Collection | A Photography and Art Exhibit
Leroy Neiman Gallery
“A Young Black Girl’s View of Harlem During the Great Migration,” New Yorker Magazine (coverage of the Harrises of Harlem: Eight Generations)
December
Granted 501c3 status
February
The Harrises of Harlem: Eight Generations: The Mildred Harris Jackson Collection | A Photography and Art Exhibit
Rio 3 Gallery, Broadway Housing Communities, Sugar Hill Building
Spring, Summer
Oral History Tapings: Katherine Butler Jones, Vaughn Terry Jelks
July
Oral History Tapings: Laverne Gaither; Denise, Keith, and Taylor Thompson
September - May
2nd Season | When Sugar Hill Was Sweet: A Centennial Celebration of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue (Arts and Humanities Programming)
March
Oral History Tapings: Tesfaye Tessema, Cassandra Wilson
April
Premiered In the Face of What We Remember: Oral Histories of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue
Miller Theatre, Harlem, NY
September - November
3rd Season | When Sugar Hill Was Sweet: A Centennial Celebration of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue (Arts and Humanities Programming)
October
In the Face of What We Remember: Oral Histories of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue
Reel Sisters Film Festival, Harlem, NY
November
Oral History Tapings: St. Nick’s Pub at Bill’s Place, with Gerald Cyrus, David F. Gibson, Patience Higgins, Marcus Persiani, Bill Saxton
August
In the Face of What We Remember: Oral Histories of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue
Association for the Study and Life of Afro American History (ASLAH), 104th Annual Conference, Charleston, SC
September
Attended Preservation Leadership Training: Board Building and Fundraising Intensive at African Meeting House in Boston, MA, sponsored by the National Trust for Heritage Preservation/African American Heritage Cultural Action Fund
October
In the Face of What We Remember: Oral Histories of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue
Baltimore International Black Film Festival, Baltimore, Maryland
400 Years Of Inequality: 1619 Project
In the Face of What We Remember: Oral Histories of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue
Aaron Davis Hall, Harlem, NY
October
In the Face of What We Remember: Oral Histories of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue
Reel Sisters Film Festival, Harlem, NY
September - October
4th Season | (Arts and Humanities Programming)
July
In the Face of What We Remember: Oral Histories of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue
Selected for Harlem International Film Festival
Harlem, NY
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