The neighborhood of East Harlem, or “El Barrio”, in New York City has evolved through an ever changing influx of inhabitants. Almost every decade has brought in a new wave of migrants and culture to add to the neighborhood’s anthropological melting pot. Today, it remains one of the most diverse sections of the city, however also one of the most plagued by social issues. Housing, poverty, literacy levels, access to fresh food, over population, and gentrification are just a few of the problems El Barrio is facing. The history of this neighborhood is like a rich tapestry, composed of many people, stories, languages, and cultural contributions that have made it an epicenter of urban life today. In this blog, I am exploring the city through the lens of three different ethnic groups of residents who are portrayed in the novel “Tenants of East Harlem” by author Russell Leigh Sharman. The best representation of a city is its people , and through their elaborate details, stories, and experiences, East Harlem comes alive.
“Located in a somewhat infamous corner of upper Manhattan, East Harlem is hemmed in by 96th and 125th Streets, Fifth Avenue, and the East River. It has always been distinct from the better- known Harlem, at least in the eyes of its inhabitants, though it has not always been considered a specifically Spanish Harlem. Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, and African Americans all took up residence before the arrival of Puerto Ricans.But currently, Puerto Ricans staked the most recent claim, overwhelming every other ethnic group by sheer numbers so that East Harlem became Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio, which would fight a losing battle with other Harlem for municipal attention and economic development. By the 1980’s and 1990’s East Harlem had become one of the most stigmatized communities in the city. With the introduction of crack cocaine to the informal urban economy, 40 percent became the magic number for East Harlem’s misery: 40 percent of its residents lived below the poverty line, 40 percent of families living there resided in public housing projects; and 40 percent of Harlem households had no wage or salary income.
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A decade later East Harlem continues to attract new immigrants who slowly transform the community in the subtle , ongoing work of putting down roots. Mexicans join the well – entrenched Puerto Ricans to radically re align the nationalist divisions of the Latino Community. West Africans along 3rd Avenue confuse notions of African , American, and black. Asians link the urban space in a network of restaurants and bodegas, working behind Plexiglas. And, finally, the gradual appearance of downtown money and upwardly mobile but cash- poor whites signals the latest and most pervasive migration yet.
East Harlem has always suffered the indignities of racial essentialism – the belief that the Italians , the Puerto Ricans , or any other ethnic group was somehow monolithic and usually hardwired for social dysfunction. This idea was often associated with the specific sections of the neighborhood : east of First Avenue was Italian Harlem; south of 110th street was Spanish Harlem. Common sense would suggest that any individual might diverge from the collective stereotype , or indeed that no single individual would match the stereotype at all. And yet, each individual is invariably connected to a particular identity, bound by geography as much as genealogy. Our lives move in and out of the stream of experience that feeds that identity, and each of us, regardless of intention, stands in for the whole. It’s the people that make up East Harlem, that give it a distinct flair, a rich history, and a heartbeat.’ (Sharman 28-29)
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