Overview

Through the lens of real estate transactions from 1890 to 1920, Kevin McGruder offers an innovative perspective on Harlem's history and reveals the complex interactions between whites and African Americans at a critical time of migration and development. During these decades, Harlem saw a dramatic increase in its African American population, and although most histories speak only of the white residents who met these newcomers with hostility, this book uncovers a range of reactions. Although some white Harlem residents used racially restrictive real estate practices to inhibit the influx of African Americans into the neighborhood, others believed African Americans had a right to settle wherever it was affordable and helped facilitate sales. These years saw Harlem transform not into a ghetto, as many histories portray, but into a community that became a symbol of both the possibilities and challenges black populations faced across the nation. The book also introduces alternative reasons behind African Americans' migration to Harlem, showing that they came not to escape poverty but to establish a lasting community. Owning real estate was an essential part of this plan, along with building churches, erecting youth-serving facilities, and gaining power in public office.

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9780231539258

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Kevin McGruder, assistant professor of history at Antioch College, studies African American institutions, urban history, and gay and lesbian history.

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