harlem
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Clap Your Hands: Pharrell Williams Makes 114 Grads of Harlem High School ‘Happy’ With Guaranteed Internships
Having the prolific hit-maker Pharrell Williams as their commencement speaker probably seemed like a big enough “get” for the graduating class of Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy. But the ridiculously ageless producer and singer had one welcome surprise for the young graduates: guaranteed internships. “Let me be clear…every member of the 2019 graduating class is…
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At Harlem Eat Up, Harlem’s Food Scene Showcases Its Proud Culinary History—and Its Future
Every great soul food plate is symphonic in nature. There’s the rich medley of textures and flavor profiles: the satisfying, savory crunch of fried chicken skin, giving way to the juicy, slick meat underneath. The electric orange comfort of candied yams, sweet and buttery and sliding around your tongue. The bright tanginess of greens sopping…
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Harlem Drug Kingpin Frank Lucas Dies at 88
Harlem kingpin Frank Lucas, who inspired the 2007 feature film American Gangster with Denzel Washington, has died. According to CBS News, Lucas passed Thursday in New Jersey. He was 88. Raised in North Carolina, Lucas found his way to New York in the 1960s, eventually becoming a major drug trafficker based out of Harlem, known…
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Rest in Power: Famed Lindy Hop Dancer Norma Miller Dies at 99
She was known as the Queen of Swing, a dancer who helped make famous the lindy hop, a fast-paced, acrobatic dance popular during the Big Band era of the 1930s and 1940s. On Sunday, the queen, Norma Miller, died of congestive heart failure at her home in Florida. She was 99 years old. Miller, who…
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That Harlem Hustle: Meet Flo Ngala, the Young Photographer Behind Some of Cardi B’s Most Iconic Moments
Flo Ngala’s personality matches her photography—she’s elegant, refined, urbane, but not inaccessible. Her willowy frame ensconced in a vintage pink Ralph Lauren pantsuit, she’s undeniably fly, but her fashionista exterior belies a squishy, uproarious joy, always lurking around the corner and ready to burst out like her broad, cheeky smile. I first met Ngala when she…
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Where Is America's Blackest City?
How do you define the blackness of a city? For Black History Month, we challenged writers to explain why they think their city deserves the title of blackest city in America. And man, did they rep their cities hard. So now, we’re asking you, our readers, to vote for who made the strongest case. Here’s…
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Harlem’s Blackness Is Triumphant. When It Comes to Blackest City, There Is No Competition
There are very few words synonymous with blackness. “Harlem” fits that bill. Harlem is a place, yes, but it is also an idea; it is an exhortation. It is our very own Oz. In fact, Harlem, unlike most things in America that signify blackness—“inner city,” “urban,” “welfare”—is triumphant. It represents the very best of us,…
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A Good Look: Bevy Smith and Dapper Dan Join Harlem Restaurant Melba's to Host Free Lunch for Furloughed Federal Workers
Here’s a fashion moment we can definitely get behind: Television personality Bevy Smith (Page Six, Fashion Queens) and designer Dapper Dan are helping out their fellow Harlemites on Tuesday, joining restaurant owner Melba Wilson to host a free lunch for federal workers negatively affected by the ongoing government shutdown. The Harlem, N.Y., icons will join…
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Finding Martin Luther King Jr. In America's Streets
Martin Luther King Jr. is perhaps one of the most famous civil rights leaders in the United States. His name is synonymous with words like “nonviolence,” and “racial justice.” It’s easy to see Dr. King as a symbol for peace. Somewhere along the way, King’s name became the punch line of the quintessential Chris Rock…
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Exclusive: New Report Shows Gentrifiers Use Police to Terrorize Communities of Color—Without Even Calling 911
It was a story so ridiculous it seemed destined to go viral: A new Harlem resident, a white woman going only by the name Mackenzie, launched a veritable war against a neighborhood ice cream truck, complaining loudly and persistently about the noise and attempting, several times, to call 311—New York City’s hotline for quality of…