vkrishnan_harlem
May 2021
Neal Shoemaker from Harlem Heritage Tours gave our students a virtual live tour of Harlem, talking about the history of Harlem, places/spaces, people and their role in Harlem Renaissance. He showed us the location of the staircase from where Marcus Garvey spoke to his supporters, a tour of the Apollo theater, the location of the Savoy ball room, the location of the dark tower owned by the A'lelia Walker and Annie Munroe, who were philanthropists and first successful businesswomen who marketed the relaxer/ straightening combs. Neal talked about gentrification of Harlem- with increase in housing prices on one hand but a cleaner Harlem on the other hand. He showed us the classic brownstones, red and beige buildings- that were once single family homes but then became multifamily homes. He showed us the building that housed the literary magazine FIRE. In our trip of the Apollo, he talked about the first all black artists cast and created Broadway show called Shuffle Along.
Here are some of the quotes from our students who enjoyed Neal's tour and were grateful for his knowledge and enthusiasm.
- Thank you for your energy and enthusiasm during the tour! Even though it was virtual the tour was still very engaging and interesting.
-Thank you for giving us an inside look into Harlem! It was so cool to still be able to experience” the neighborhood while also hearing about its history.
-Thank you so much for your excitement and liveliness! Your energy was contagious and it made the tour incredibly interesting.
-Thank you for your really high energy and excitement during the tour, it made a big difference and felt very interactive.
-Thank you so much for spending your time with us!! I really enjoyed the tour, and felt like my understanding of Harlem really grew from hearing your stories and expertise.