As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Harlem offers a powerful perspective on democracy, citizenship, freedom, and the communities that helped expand the nation's founding promises.
Before today’s genre-bending superstars, Black women in the 1970s transformed harmony, soul, funk, disco, and style into a revolutionary new sound that reshaped modern R&B forever.
Explore the enduring legacy of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, and how their vision continues to shape Black power, education, and global human rights.
HarlemAmerica Originals releases five new episodes of Wait… A Black Person Invented That, spotlighting Black innovators whose inventions shaped modern life.
From rent parties to bebop, Harlem shaped jazz into a global force of culture and resistance. Discover the music, the movement, and the legacy.
Special Bonus - HarlemAmerica's Definitive Harlem Jazz Playlist on Spotify
Discover the 200-year legacy of McKissack & McKissack and how one Black family built excellence, equity, and generational power across America.
Editorial Note: Several Corrections have been made to this feature. We apologize for any inaccuracies.
HarlemAmerica launches the HarlemAmerica Originals Channel with its inaugural Black History Month 2026 series, Wait… A Black Person Invented That?!, spotlighting Black innovators who shaped modern life.
As Harlem faces the pressures of economic change, the Schomburg Center remains a stabilizing force. It is a place where ancestors speak, where scholars gather, and where community memory is treated as sacred infrastructure.
Beneath Harlem’s pulse lies a story older than the Renaissance — the unceded Lenape homeland and the shared struggles of Indigenous and African peoples who built it. Together, they’re shaping Harlem’s next chapter: one of remembrance, healing, and...
The Harlem Hellfighters — Black and Puerto Rican heroes who fought racism with courage and changed the world with jazz. Their valor on the battlefield and their rhythm in the streets redefined Harlem’s global legacy and the very meaning of American...
Thirty years after the Million Man March brought nearly a million Black men to Washington, D.C., its legacy still echoes in Harlem and beyond. From vows of atonement to grassroots activism, discover how the march’s spirit of unity, responsibility...
This short film and Spotify playlist captures the heartbeat of Harlem — from the Great Migration to the Harlem Renaissance, from the rhythm of the Savoy to the voices that rose from pulpits, street corners, and stages. It honors the dreamers, the...
August 23rd is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition. It is a day of remembrance, yes, but also a call to rise, to reclaim, and to honor the power of survival.
In Harlem, history isn’t just remembered, it’s alive. Now, as the Schomburg turns 100, we don’t just mark a milestone, we honor a movement.
When Nelson Mandela stepped onto the streets of Harlem in 1990, it wasn't just the arrival of a global statesman. It was the return of a long-lost brother. This month we remind you of that connection.
In honor of Women's History Month we document a legacy of revolutionary leadership, courageous advocacy, and everlasting empowerment is Shirley Chisholm's political legacy.
These innovators were pivotal in defining the contemporary world via their contributions to fields as diverse as healthcare and technology.
Throughout history, African American medical professionals and researchers have made significant contributions to the field of medicine, often in the face of adversity and systemic racism.
The "Red Summer" of 1919 was a time of widespread racial unrest, rioting, and civic unrest that hit several American cities to the core.
Without public recognition, innumerable unsung heroes and heroines toiled away, sometimes at great personal danger and in the face of injustice, to advance the cause of civil rights. Here we highlight a few of these unsung heroes whose efforts were...
There have been watershed moments and major accomplishments for the African American community in the past sixty years. These moments have altered the trajectory of history, elevated civil rights, and cleared the path for advancement. . .
The creator of Sugar Hill Records, Sylvia Robinson, is profiled in this essay along with the imprint's enormous contributions to the growth and acceptance of hip-hop music.
Join us in celebrating some amazing people. Here are some of the ways that Black innovators have shaped our world, from toys to traffic lights.
Here are some of our favorite books influenced by Harlem. Which one are you picking first?
What does the history of Black entrepreneurship look like? Let’s take a look at the last hundred years of Black-owned business.
After the Civil War, George Pullman’s company became the largest employer of African Americans in the country. But his refusal to pay his porters a fair wage created a different legacy: the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters, the first African...
In this age of mass documentation, it’s important to look back and see how far we’ve come. Here are some important places where Black history has been documented and memorialized.
In 2016, prominent Black filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Selma, Queen Sugar producer) created a short documentary film as the Orientation film for Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Did you know the first Black rodeo was started in Harlem? “I showed the whole world: there have always been Black cowboys,” says Dr. George Blair.
The Harlem Derby began as a one day gathering of people demonstrating the pomp of the Kentucky Derby done “Harlem Style”