AFRICANS IN HARLEM

Catalog description

Africans are not the face of immigration debates in the United States as has traditionally been the case of other migrant and diasporic groups. Yet, Sub-Saharan African émigrés are growing in many places, doubling their number every ten years since the 1980s to reach two million in 2019. Nowhere is this more vibrant than in the historically Black neighborhood of Harlem in New York City. The first major wave of West African immigrants—Senegalese, Malians, and Guineans—moved to Harlem in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Prior, Ethiopian refugees, African students and diplomats in the 1960s and 1970s had already made Harlem their home. The course examines stories and experiences of African-born migrants and their varied and dynamic influences on Harlem. Also, Africa and Black Americans have historically fostered exchanges in and around Harlem as evidenced by connections made during the Harlem Renaissance and solidarity movements. The course uses different materials and resources, including literary texts, films about and/or set in Harlem, and visits to communities, historical sites, and cultural institutions.