Subterranean Beefworks

Things you should know about Harlem

Some things you should know about Harlem are that it is a borough of New York City, like Manhattan or Brooklin and that many black people live there. Right off the bat, there is potential for confusion about Harlem. Firstly, New York is a confusing state for many reasons. It takes its name from another popular city name in Great Britain (where our forefathers came from) called York. Possibly feeling homesick or just particularly proud of the cities they came from, many settlers of the pre-revolutionary period dubbed their newly established settlements in honor of their origins. Other examples include "New Hampshire" which is actually a state, "New Hempstead," and even "New England," which possibly demonstrates this etimology best. Getting back to the topic, New York is confusing because it is a state of the union, a city, and a county all at once. And even if you understand where those distinctions apply, you still have to worry about the numerous boroughs that divide the city into sections. Harlem comprises just one of these divisions. You must understand that before moving on to the second source of confusion: Black people.

You are probably not black if you are reading this. With that assumption understood, it can be granted that you are either some derivative of 'white' or some derivative of 'asian.' For your demographic, the superficial (and thereby the most frequently referenced) definition of 'black' is fairly suited to describe anyone who has darker skin than you and speaks either spanish or the ebonic dialects. (The author acknowledges that such a broad summary of a very complex subject comes with its inaccuracies. But for the purpose of explaining Harlem, itself of rivaling complexity, such particulars are better left unspoken.)

Taken on it's own, the issue of black people is easy to understand. As with any culture that has it's place in world history, it is rife with extraordinary heritage, social hardship, involvement with other cultures, etc. and although in depth research will surely reveal ample material about which to be confused, the subject of black people, on it's own, simply sits under the umbrella of anthropology, whose tenets stem from very simple topics (the nature and mentality of mass societies, for example). Problems with understanding Harlem as a whole begin when one integrates the the subjects of Harlem and Black people, which on their own can be understood when considered within their respective fields of study, but when merged, form a highly intricate knot of sciences and ideas which can be nearly impossible to sort through.

The scope of this document cannot possibly endeavor to untangle all of the socio-economo-globio-anthropological tangle, but it is through this paper that the hopes to educate the reader on the subject at hand: Harlem, and what you should know about it.

America began as property of the British Empire. Within it's unexplored territories sprung colonies which were ruled by the Royal Family of England, the Throne. As such, America inherited many attributes from its parent country, England. These attributes included a love for tea, arranged marriages, and most importantly, slavery. For many hundreds of years, the global slave trade was a vibrant industry. The continent of Africa was seen as a large fertile field, from which workers, as opposed to grain and foodstuffs, could be harvested. It wasn't until many years after America suceeded from British rule that such flagrant human rights violations were addressed. The end of the Civil war ushered a new (though still limited) recognition of human rights which provided an opportunity for black individuals to live as citizens.

This of crucial importance to understanding the relationship between Harlem and its many black inhabitants. With their rights recognized, especially in lands north of the Mason-Dixon line, black people began to seek new lands and places of inhabitance, finding relative success and brotherhood, particularly in what we know know as New York City. This pattern of seeking out opportunity is exhibited with striking similarity by hispanics, who much later in history, made similar pilgrimages to America's north east (as well as other highly developed cities in the south and west, and to some extent everywhere in between).

So as we have shown, New York has its origins with those who came over from England. We understand the etymology of its nomenclature, where it applies, and even a bit about how the great City of New York is divided into boroughs, most topically of which is Harlem. And now we also understand how and why it is inhabited by many black people.

This is all you need to know about Harlem. It is in New York, and there are black people there.

Posted by Alchemae at October 24, 2003 01:26 PM