Theres a new face in Harlem and I’m not sure if I like it. I finally made it to Harlem week and the turn out was ok. For some reason I was more focused on the new/fresh faces walking around. Some looked very lost and some looked at me as if I were in the wrong neighborhood. I’m not sure if this was done for pure mockery or as an April Fool’s joke because I know who ever decided to site Harlem as a tourist area couldn’t have been serious. No maybe they were serious, it’s just so weird to see certain faces on 135th street looking so comfortable. There is a difference between moving into a new neighborhood; trying to blend and become acquainted with your neighbors. And moving into a neighborhood sticking out like a sour thumb and strolling as if I’m the new comer. I want to say theres nothing wrong with a mix of people in one area but I know this post will cancel it out. I thought there was an unwritten rule about moving into a predominantly so and so neighborhood. Although it’s been broken and still is being broke. I always felt like there was some consideration when it came to not moving “over there”, its like you’re taking your life into your own hands. Whatever comes after, you should have prepared yourself for. Now if you may try to disregard how closed minded and narrow I may sound think about it like this;
Remember at lunch back in school there was some sort of respect you had for a group’s turf. Be it 2 months into the school year,at some point everyone had to acknowledge everyone’s area. It was a boundary you didn’t cross. But bottom line is there was always a silent conversation when it came to seating arrangement in the lunchroom and at the end of the day. Everyone knew who’s territory was whos. You just didn’t up and decide to take over someone’s turf, it was their unofficial home at school. If you did decide to come in and “invade” you were only trying to start some mess.(If the whole school is one race this still applies).
Now I know the whole idea of grade school can be immature in itself and everything that surrounds it (events,fights,friends,problems) turns out to be minuscule and irrelevant anyway. I just used that as an example to talk about the base of respect. Yes this IS a race thing, it is very much so. I felt some kind of disrespect when seeing tourist after tourist wandering, analyzing while taking in all of Harlem. It’s safe to say that if there was a tour guide with them something in me would have clicked and I would have found the courage to ask them, “what are ya’ll doing here”.
I don’t care how cultural Harlem is, it is not an attraction site, I’m sorry (no I’m not sorry). You can’t love, like, or even appreciate Harlem if you don’t know it. You will only be able to understand half of what it has to offer and even then. I guarentee you’ll still need years on your plate to fall in love. It was just something so wrong with seeing a pack of tourists every 5 minutes taking in the “sites” on 135th street. I need to understand what a foreigner will get out of that. I look at Harlem as a close knit neighborhood, you either know it or you don’t. There aren’t any extra signs to lead an outsider where they need to go, you won’t find a 24 hour information booth to answer all your questions. And you damn sure won’t find enjoyment in asking people where this and that is. Not because no one will answer or try to assist you but because it’s just not meant for that, stay on 42nd street please before you get yourself hurt.
All I know is when or if someone decides to change Harlem into something that its not. They are going to have a pretty difficult time.
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