East Harlem’s Louie Lump Lump, Rao’s and Other Histories

On a December night in 2003, at Rao’s, the legendary restaurant on Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem, a man nicknamed Louie Lump Lump (pictured above) shot another patron after reportedly taking issue with his disparaging comment about the female singer’s rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl.” Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up…

Harlem’s Jimmy Castor, Dies at 71 (video)

Jimmy Castor, a singer, instrumentalist and songwriter whose mastery of genres from doo-wop to Latin soul to funk, and instruments including saxophone and bongos earned him the title Everything Man, died on Monday in Henderson, Nev. He was 71. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Select list(s) to subscribe toHarlem World Magazine Example:…

Walter’s World: Kwanzaa Celebration- Regeneration Night at the Apollo

By Walter Rutledge Kwanzaa has become a nationally recognized celebration since it’s in inception in 1966. The concepts embodied in the seven principles known as the Nguzo Saba are universal in today’s society, but were extremely relevant to the civil rights era Americans of African decent; who were rekindling the concepts of self-determination, economic empowerment…

Rev. Frederick J. “Ike” Eikerenkoetter II In Harlem (video)

Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II was born in Ridgeland, South Carolina, and was of African American and Indo (Dutch-Indonesian) descent. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Select list(s) to subscribe toHarlem World Magazine Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from Harlem World Magazine. (You can unsubscribe anytime)Constant Contact Use. Please leave this…

Walter’s World: Dance and More Bearden

Complexions Contemporary Ballet fall season at the Joyce Theatre (175 8th Ave at 19th St) Tuesday November 15 through Sunday November 27. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Select list(s) to subscribe toHarlem World Magazine Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from Harlem World Magazine. (You can unsubscribe anytime)Constant Contact Use.…

Harlem’s Duke Ellington, Photograph By Lee Tanner (video)

Duke Ellington When his drummer Sonny Greer was invited to join the Wilber Sweatman Orchestra in New York City, Ellington made the fateful decision to leave behind his successful career in Washington, D.C., and move to Harlem, becoming one of the figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Select…

Harlem’s Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson

Ellsworth Raymond Johnson (October 31, 1905 – July 7, 1968) — known as “Bumpy” Johnson — was an American mob boss and bookmaker in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Select list(s) to subscribe toHarlem World Magazine Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from Harlem World Magazine. (You…

Jazz vs. Racism By Greg Thomas

In the brief time that I’ve been posting blog entries to Integral Post, rarely have I explicitly discussed the issue of race, which, it seems to me, is a blindspot of the Integral community. Yet I intend, more and more, to visit the theme of race and view it through an Integral lens. Become a…

Walter’s World: 2011 Harlem Fine Arts Show

By Walter Rutledge A civilization is ultimately defined not by what it does, but by what it leaves behind. It defines a people, and since antiquity speaks to the one race- the human race. The 2011 Harlem Fine Arts Show will present the fifteenth annual exhibition Friday, February 25 to Sunday February 27 in the…

Harlem’s Zora Neale Hurston 1891 – 1960

Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American folklorist and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance, best known for the 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Zora Neale Hurston on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. Become a Harlem…

HW’s One On One With Robb Pair

Robb Pair The Harlem resident with a southern twang and a Harlem heart, owner of Harlem Lofts, President of The Manhattan MLS and VP of The Manhattan Association of REALTORS. Here, he talks about real estate, family and his love of Harlem. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Select list(s) to subscribe toHarlem…

Walter’s World: Remembering Jimmy

By Walter Rutledge August 2, 2010 marked the eighty-sixth birthday of James Baldwin. For the second year in a row the Faison Firehouse Theater has chosen to step to the forefront and present Remembering Jimmy– a tribute to the late James Baldwin. Last year the celebration was a forum with colleagues and contemporaries, and family…

Oscar Micheaux Stamp Unveiling in Harlem

The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors pio­neering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) wrote, directed, produced, and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the…

Madam C.J. Walker

Madam C.J. Walker (December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an African-American businesswoman, hair care entrepreneur and philanthropist. She made her fortune by developing and marketing a hugely successful line of beauty and hair products for black women, under the company she founded, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for…