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I agree with that, but are black people going to flock to a black owned coffee shop that only has about 25-50% black people in it? What makes that coffee shop different than somewhere else? I think the general idea for this discussion is about black people having the ability to enjoy black spaces within their community right? If so, what happens when black spaces are no longer black spaces? Is that ok?
Harlem is gentrifying like everywhere else. What happens when the neighborhood reaches that level? I don't think people have a problem with diversity, I think people who desire to live in black neighborhoods are upset when their neighborhood is no longer black.
Harlem is already like that. If you go into a really nice Black-owned restaurant (e.g., Ponty Bistro), you will see a diverse crowd with maybe 40% of the patrons being Black on any given day. What you don't see ever is a 85-90% non-Black crowd. And that's something you can easily see at any number of restaurants along 14th Street in DC.
That’s just a little surprisingly low. 33 square miles is huge. For just 14 black owned places.
If you look at the zip codes for all of these places and note their square mileage, it's obvious that zip code 30318 in Atlanta is very much an outlier given its much larger size at just over 20 sq mi which drastically skews its numbers. Check out the zip code on a map and things will come into focus. Not only is commercial development limited to the western third of the zip code which is where the three restaurants listed are located, but there are all sorts of land uses in the zip code including a huge Norfolk-Southern rail yard, an old quarry which is being turned into a new city park twice the size of Piedmont Park, a golf course, a cemetery, and a water treatment plant.
Harlem is already like that. If you go into a really nice Black-owned restaurant (e.g., Ponty Bistro), you will see a diverse crowd with maybe 40% of the patrons being Black on any given day. What you don't see ever is a 85-90% non-Black crowd. And that's something you can easily see at any number of restaurants along 14th Street in DC.
14th Street is not black anymore nor is it in a black area of the city anymore. Logan Circle/Mid City hasn't been black for decades. It will be interesting as Harlem continues to change to observe how the crowds change.
14th Street is not black anymore nor is it in a black area of the city anymore. Logan Circle/Mid City hasn't been black for decades. It will be interesting as Harlem continues to change to observe how the crowds change.
Probably not much. For a couple of reasons.
For one, Manhattan (and Harlem specifically) has been gentrifying longer and at a more intense pace than DC has. The real estate markets are not even comparable. A shell of a brownstone in Harlem costs what a fully renovated rowhouse in Adams-Morgan costs. So if 8-figure price tags haven't changed the character of the neighborhood that much (at least not as much as it has 14th Street), it's probably not going to happen, or at least won't happen for some time (esp with so much NYCHA housing and rent stabilization).
Second, I think Black New Yorkers are invested in Harlem in a way Black people aren't invested in Black neighborhoods in other cities. Lots of neighborhoods are rich in history, but this is HARLEM we are talking about. Black professionals working on the Street could afford to live anywhere in the city, but they want to live around all the history, and there's a commitment to "keeping it in the neighborhood." This obviously isn't true for everyone but there will always be a huge critical mass of affluent Black professionals who will be drawn to Harlem for these reasons.
Last edited by BajanYankee; 05-15-2020 at 12:55 PM..
I don't think I've ever seen a public event in DC with so many Black people. At least not a public event that was not specifically designed with Black people in mind (CBC, Caribbean festival, etc.).
But I don't think access to capital is the only key. What really sets black owned businesses apart is the ability or inability to draw clientele from all demographics. For instance in the new south cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Raleigh many many folks are entrepreneurs and many culturally it is nothing new many immigrants from China, the west indies, especially India, The middle east have restaurants, gas stations, beauty or automotive based bushiness and various businesses but the people that shop there are some of everyone and their business are setup in locations that finally can support them. Unfortunately the disconnect can occur with location and marketing. We have to support our people but also everyone else needs to to support them to for longevity. It's one thing to get off the ground. But to stay successful is a different situation.
I don't think black businesses have issues drawing clientele from non black demographics
I don't think I've ever seen a public event in DC with so many Black people. At least not a public event that was not specifically designed with Black people in mind (CBC, Caribbean festival, etc.).
Looking at that event and seeing the music playing at the party, I don't really know what you mean by:
"I don't think I've ever seen a public event in DC with so many Black people. At least not a public event that was not specifically designed with Black people in mind"
It seems like an interesting event catered for a crowd that would appreciate the music being played at the event in the video which is clearly not pop or rock etc.
For one, Manhattan (and Harlem specifically) has been gentrifying longer and at a more intense pace than DC has. The real estate markets are not even comparable. A shell of a brownstone in Harlem costs what a fully renovated rowhouse in Adams-Morgan costs. So if 8-figure price tags haven't changed the character of the neighborhood that much (at least not as much as it has 14th Street), it's probably not going to happen, or at least won't happen for some time (esp with so much NYCHA housing and rent stabilization).
Second, I think Black New Yorkers are invested in Harlem in a way Black people aren't invested in Black neighborhoods in other cities. Lots of neighborhoods are rich in history, but this is HARLEM we are talking about. Black professionals working on the Street could afford to live anywhere in the city, but they want to live around all the history, and there's a commitment to "keeping it in the neighborhood." This obviously isn't true for everyone but there will always be a huge critical mass of affluent Black professionals who will be drawn to Harlem for these reasons.
I guess we will see. Especially post COVID-19 with so many businesses that will not reopen.
Looking at that event and seeing the music playing at the party, I don't really know what you mean by:
"I don't think I've ever seen a public event in DC with so many Black people. At least not a public event that was not specifically designed with Black people in mind"
It seems like an interesting event catered for a crowd that would appreciate the music being played at the event in the video which is clearly not pop or rock etc.
I think you could have an event like this in PG County (National Harbor). Probably not enough Black professionals in the city limits to have something like this every month.
At the end of the day, DC is a black city and NYC is not. If a festival or anything is happening in DC, the crowd is going to be black. That is definitely not the case in NYC.
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