Everday Life in Harlem???

I explored the Digital Harlem map, which explores Harlem primarily from the 1915-1930. Sub-titled “everyday Life 1915-1930), it seeks to capture “everyday life.” Of course, this is already perspectival and subjective since people from different ethnicities, economic positions, and gender would have very different experiences of “everyday life.” This is the first consideration I had as I opened the map: what is their version of everyday life in Harlem?

Once one opens the map, they are greeted with five images with captions; segments featured in the map. These are “Churches, Sports, Number of Arrests, Nightlife, and January 1925.” All have images behind them, and are attached to different locations on the map. They seem to speak to common themes in Harlem everyday life.

Churches represent religion and how this may have been central to Harlem life. At the same time, crime and nightlife seem to be an ever present and important part of Harlem. Are these two aspect in conflict? This is not answered. Then, the segments of Sports and January 1925 which seen significant, but still unclear about how it fits into the town.

Further, the fact that crime is featured communicates that this place was crime ridden and perhaps a dangerous place. Yet, the featured night life would suggest it’s a place where people want to go and a place of pleasure for individuals.

From my understanding, when a U.S. native hears of Harlem, they have some general assumptions about it. These seem to be present here as I know many have seen Harlem as a “place of sin.” One thinks of jazz and gangsters; or “Nightlife” and “Number of Arrests.”

I don’t believe that this represents the everyday life as experienced by actual residents. In fact, the map relies heavily on public records, absent of personal accounts. This seems to be made by and for historians; individuals looking to understand the publicized history over a personalized history.

The map reveals a general history, recorded in news reports and city records. But it obscures the personal experience of residents; such as diary accounts or interviews. Everyday life? No, more like general events in Harlem.

I imagine an alternative would be to map personal accounts like diaries or interviews, connected to the place where the person resided. Personal stories of the businesses and nightclubs, and the perspective of the police officers could also be included. The voices of these people would be posed with an image of themselves and the places that were familiar to them.