Examining the Digital Harlem Everyday Life Mapping Project

This week I examined the Digital Harlem Everyday Life 1915-1930 project. According to the about page, the research project showcases “focuses not on black artists and the black middle class, but on the lives of ordinary African New Yorkers. It does so primarily by systematically exploring a sample of legal records and black newspapers.” Some of the legal records used as sources are from the District Attorney’s  Closed Case Files, Probation Department Case Files, Committee of Fourteen Papers (investigation reports by undercover investigators in Harlem and records of women arrested for prostitution). Research on Harlem institutions and neighborhood life (specifically information about churches, schools and fraternal organizations) were collected by the W.P.A Writers Program Collect (WPA). The sources are important because the map primarily reveals events and areas that are notable for legal purposes.

Upon entering the site, we have the option to look at the map based on Events, Places, or by Specific Person. Under the Event option we can select Type of Event, primarily different crimes such as assault, burglary, stabbing, prostitution, etc, along with some neighborhood sports games/events. We also have the option to look at Places, specifically Usage Type, Race of Owner, etc. as well as six unique individual perspectives. We are able to learn about the daily lives of a teenager, domestic service worker/African American single mother, West Indian Laborer, Lodger, and more. In this map we are able to see their residencies, workplace, and places they frequent.

Turnbull claims that all maps are perspectival and subjective. The Digital Harlem project is not exempt from this statement. The fact that the map highlights perspectives of specific people makes the map completely subjective. Also, social roles, interpretations, and power structures come into play when creating the map because different people only highlight what they believe to be significant and dismiss those they do not. Furthermore, because the sources are legal documents and newspapers, I do not believe that the map adequately reflects daily life. We can argue that those with legal involvements or have been written about in newspapers are not entirely reflective of the average Harlem populations’ daily life because in order to have these records, people had to have done something out of the ordinary (ex. commit crime, won a local tennis match, etc.) That being said, however, the creators of the project made use of their sources and reveal important information, for example, places of frequent crime or popular spots in the neighborhood.

I would like to see a map that includes more personal accounts of daily life or culturally/historically-significant places in Harlem, and one that uses a variety of sources not just from newspapers and legal records. It may be useful to spotlight artistic works such as community centers where people enjoyed theater and music. Finally, it would be more interactive and enjoyable if the map included other forms of multimedia such as more pictures, videos, audio recordings, and links to websites with more information about specific places. I appreciate, however, that interpretations of material are offered in a separate blog by the project creators.