After last week’s detour, I’ve been riding a different route to work. Along the way, I pedal through one Harlem’s historic districts.
On West 138th Street, just across the bridge from the Bronx, I spotted this:
That plaque is affilxed to St. Mark the Evangelist church, which bills itself as the first Catholic parish in Harlem to welcome Black people. It would serve as the meeting place for Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association and other political, social, cultural and religious organizations.
Just a block away, I rode along what must be one of the most beautiful blocks, architecturally, in Manhattan. A few of the brownstones are in disrepair, but all are protected by the city’s historic landmark designation. This plaque adorns one of those houses:
I am sure Esther Crain, author of Ephemeral New York (one of my favorite blogs) will be interested. Turns out, the Nassau Bahamas Association, now known as the the Bahamian American Association in New York, is still going strong.
Nothing like a little Black History to spice up a commute, is there?
In case I haven’t delved enough into African American, Harlem and New York history for a post on a bicycle blog, I’ll leave you with this: On this date in 1965–exactly 60 years ago —Malcolm X was assassinated.
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