Quote: Is Harlem ‘Good’ Now? (Marcus Samuelsson)

Michelle Obama, Marcus Samuelsson via harlemcondolife

“I travel all over the world for work and I am constantly asked to define Harlem. What’s it like, people ask. Is it cool? Is it safe? When I go to places like the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to speak among celebrated thinkers and leaders, I’m often asked: Is Harlem good now? I always have to pause before answering. Good compared with what? To when? These questions all miss the mark. Is Harlem good now? That is a question loaded with long-held ideas about race and class, one that dismisses the complex, vital history of this neighborhood and its people, their contributions to civil rights and art, under one word: “bad.”

From the following op ed:  http://nyti.ms/1fnop73

You can find books and more by and about Marcus and Harlem on HarlemCondoLife’s new and improved store located here.

Author: HarlemGuy

13 thoughts on “Quote: Is Harlem ‘Good’ Now? (Marcus Samuelsson)

  1. it is hard to separate race from class but I think people are more concerned that the ghetto blacks who throw trash on the ground , creating all kinds of noise and hanging out on the corner should be moved away somewhere…. The new middle class blacks who are coming into Harlem are what people would like – especially if they want Harlem to retain it’s Black flavor..

  2. Well.. Black has always been associated with bad. And black people inventions and contribution to everything imaginable. Have alway been dismissed. Thanks for noticing though.

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