New York: Harlem

Here There Be Dragons Podcast: New Yorkers Reflect on Harlem Welcome to Here There Be Dragons, a podcast about safety and identity in cities. I spoke to seven New York natives from all over the city about their stories and experiences. This is the 4th of the series being released weekly on CoLab Radio. In this episode we hear New Yorkers’ reflections on Harlem. Harlem is one of the most famous neighborhoods in the city and one of the most talked about too. For some New Yorkers it represents a Mecca of black American culture and history while for others it is a dangerous neighborhood with reputation for violence. Harlem’s powerful history makes it an icon for blackness and black culture. Our feelings towards the neighborhood, inherited or learned, are also mixed with our feelings towards blackness. Each person I interviewed for this podcast also drew a map of their childhood and adulthood in the city (see below). If you’ve visited or lived in New York and you want to share your experiences with me, download the base map, use the maps in our gallery as your guide and draw your own experiences of safety and danger in the city. And I’ll post them in the gallery. Send those to Jess Myers at ([email protected]). You can also record a comment or question about the episode by calling into 1 888 821-7563 ext. 58258. Some of those might be a part of the final episode in the series. You can now download Here There Be Dragons on iTunes and Stitcher.