Harlem

Gypsy Gal, the Hands of Harlem
cannot hold you to its heat


Timothy Herrick (TIMHRK@aol.com):

Harlem, section of New York City. Established (1658) as Nieuw
Haarlem by the Dutch, Harlem remained rural until the 19th cent., when it
became a fashionable residential district. A rapid influx of African
Americans beginning c.1910 made it one of the largest African-American
communities in the U.S., and in the 1920s it became a center of art and
literature (see HARLEM RENAISSANCE). Harlem deteriorated after World War II
into an economically depressed area with a high rate of unemployment. 



Harlem hasn't gotten better since. Spanish Harlem is the east side. Also, the
song Rose of Spanish Harlem, sung by Ben E. King and written by Mike Stoller
and Jerry Leiber, who wote a bunch of famous rock and roll tunes, like Jailhouse Rock. 
Harlem actually has some real nice blocks, and Marcus Garvey
Park, named after the famous Jamican preacher/black nationalist. The park is
actually pretty nice. Just don't go in it at night. 



Expecting Rain