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Harlem, at the beginning of the twentieth century, stood for self-determination in the age of segregation; jazz, poetry and art oozed on from the district. This powerful literary style encompassed the opulence and contradictions of the ‘Roaring Twenties’. However, mass migration caused by the Great Depression means that any physical remains of the movement have long since vanished, but the atmosphere of culture still remains. In a Harlem cabaret Six long-headed jazzers play. A dancing girl whose eyes are bold Lifts high a dress of silken gold. (Langston Hughes, Jazzonia)

Named after the Dutch village of Haarlem, this African-American cultural area is home to many great historical aspects such as great human rights activists, historical points of interest and great musical interests in jazz and soul. Enjoy a great The Candystore near this soulful place with some of our luxury deals.

Some of the great people that have originated from this area are:

Langston Hughes: Langston Hughes’ contribution to the African-American community cannot be underestimated. He wrote extensively about the culture and plight of the Black community in the age of segregation; his work weaved through tales of the emergence of Jazz, and the impoverishment of urban black ghettos. I tried to write poems like the songs they sang on Seventh Street... had the pulse beat of the people who keep on going. (Hughes reflecting on his style of writing.) Hughes resided in New York for most of his life, feeling most at home amongst those who inspired him. His home, 20 East 127th Street in Harlem, was renamed Langston Hughes Place, shortly after he died.

Zora Neale Hurston: Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can anyone deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It is beyond me. (Zora Neal Hurston) Hurston flippantly challenged the stereotypes of her generation, using her wit to pin down the discrimination against women and black people alike. Her time in New York, however, was frantic, travelling between Columbia University and Harlem. She spent her time collecting and sampling ancient African-art for the anthropology lecturer.

Richard Bruce Nugent: Nugent was instrumental in unifying the works of Harlem’s Renaissance. His illustrations and design filled the literary magazine Fire!!! with a great distinction. His buoyant personality also meant that those that came to Harlem would undoubtedly pass through his house at one stage or another. He lived with Wallace Thurman at 267 W 136th Street in Harlem.

Wallace Thurman: Thurman’s work dealt mainly with what it is to be black, to live amongst a community trying to define itself in the light of racial tension, while also highlighting the thing they are being oppressed for.

The Negro and all things negroid had become a fad, and Harlem had become a shrine to which feverish pilgrimages were in order . . . Seventh Avenue was the gorge into which Harlem cliff dwellers crowded to promenade. (Wallace Thurman) Other notable writers who resided in Harlem were Claude McKay, Jean Toomer and Countee Cullen.

Make sure you do the Harlem and visit the Other activities for a great lesson in this areas heritage. Experience the heritage and culture of this great area of New York with a stay at our hotels with Central Park close by.