Notes on Harlem

[by Cassaundra Sampson and Rickey Lowe]

The essence of the legendary Apollo can still be felt, standing on the outside looking up at the shining lights and standing on the imprinted legendary names on the ground. "When I was young I use to sneak out I watched the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, B.B king, I mean all the great stars,” noted a middle-aged African American reminiscing outside the historic building on 125th Street in Harlem. “I live in Atlanta now, but I make my trips out here every year."

The famous Apollo Theater, however, only represents one of the countless amazing aspects of Harlem. The fellows of the AALCI seemed to have been interested in the diversity that flooded the streets and the relationships between the many cultures. Alysha Griffin, an AALCI Fellow from Spellman said, "Sometimes we as African Americans feel isolated from the greater American society. But Harlem seems to be a place where black people and other people of color can gather as a community and exchange ideas and cultures.”

Harlem is a part of New York where various cultures are intertwined. The music alone from jazz and R&B being blasted on one end to Latino music on another truly shows the essential cultural experience of this section of Manhattan. The sights are definitely memorable and worth the experience. Hours after departure, nearly half of the Institute Fellows returned to explore the Harlem again, leading to more insight of why this famous neighborhood is considered so legendary in New York.

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