TOWN HALL: BUILDING for the FUTURE Presented in Conjunction with the Exhibition Uptown Triennial 2020, in Support of Harlem Renaissance 100

TOWN HALL: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Uptown Triennial 2020, in support of Harlem Renaissance 100. December 4, 2020

Program Order

Introduction Jennifer Mock, Associate Director, Education and Public Programs, Wallach Art Gallery

Welcoming Remarks Betti-Sue Hertz, Chief Curator and Director, Wallach Art Gallery

Opening Remarks Stacy Lynch, Co-founder, Daughters of the Movement

Reflections Alexis Clark, Adjunct Faculty, Columbia School of Journalism, and author, Enemies in Love: A German POW, a Black Nurse, and an Unlikely Romance

Paula Croxson, Associate Director of Public Programs and Adjunct Associate Research Scientist, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University

Panel Moderator Valerie Kennedy, Esq., Managing Principal, Deicode 360

Panelists (in order of appearance)

Eric Pryor, President, Harlem School of the Arts Gabriel Garmon, Wardrobe Stylist and Creative Director, Officially Gabriel; contributing fashion writer, Delux Magazine Esther Grant-Walker, Independent Teaching Artist; Rehearsal/Asst. Artistic Director - Batoto Yetu Dance Company Thomas Boatswain, Co-founder, JTW Fit Eric K. Washington, independent historian and author of Boss of the Grips: The Life of James H. Williams and the Red Caps of Grand Central Terminal

PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT

(IMAGE OF COMMUNITY AGREEMENT COMES DOWN. VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Good morning, everyone. My name is Jennifer Mock and I'm the Wallach Art Gallery’s Associate Director for Education and Public Programs. Thank you for joining us for today's program, our Uptown 2020 Triennial TOWN HALL: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE presentation, which is in support of Harlem Renaissance 100.

As we get underway just a few updates and announcements. Unfortunately, Connie Lee from the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance is unable to participate today. During our program there will be videos and media elements. To optimize playback, we encourage you to please mute your cameras. This is going to give us a fighting chance with technology to be able to let everything run smoothly in that regard. And so we thank you for your assistance with that.

As we do at all Wallach public programs, together let's foster a supportive, patient, generous and respectful space today; one of mutual respect that is free of obscenity and profanity. Please be respectful of each other's thoughts and opinions even if you disagree. Comments and questions are open to us all - are open to all using the chat function and as time permits at the end of the program we're going to answer as many as we can. This event is being recorded.

The concept of space and all of its manifestations is central to this Town Hall. To begin our program, we would like to share a video reflection from Alexis Clark, who is an adjunct professor at the Columbia University School of Journalism.

(VIDEO OF ALEXIS CLARK PLAYS ONSCREEN. THE FOLLOWING IS TRANSCRIBED FROM THAT VIDEO.)

Alexis Clark: When I think of how people embody physical spaces, particularly in historical moments, I think of overarching themes in society that are still very present today. To me, space means home - it's love, it's community. Space means peace - it's my apartment, a place of safety and comfort. And if I'm inside too long and start feeling isolated, I can go outside to public spaces which I feel are an extension of my home. I love having the space to walk along the East River or in Central Park, being out in nature, getting fresh air - it's restorative. And seeing other people, that calms me. It's a reminder that in these surreal times our communities still exist. But history has shown us that space can also be used to exclude people from community. Spaces can be a metaphor for alienation, cruelty, discrimination. And throughout history we've seen how spaces can empower racism and classism, for years under Jim Crow, but (in) less overt ways that still linger today.

In my book Enemies in Love, the woman I had the honor to write about, Elinor Powell, who lived in Harlem while in nursing school before serving in World War II, confronted the same concepts

of space - that search for home and community. I think about when she and her husband, a former German prisoner of war, married in lower Manhattan in 1947. That was a space where they could legally be together, a space that accepted them. But other spaces factored into their journey; the unwelcome spaces we're all familiar with, where one is ostracized, mistreated, maybe even loathed. And we still do that today to certain groups of people.

The fact is, no matter where we are in time, we all need a space to call home - however, that space looks. We need a community and we need the space to just be, no matter who you are.

(END OF VIDEO. VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Thank you for that reflection. I would now like to introduce Betti-Sue Hertz, Chief Curator and Director of the Wallach Art Gallery.

(VIDEO OF BETTI-SUE HERTZ ONSCREEN.)

Betti-Sue Hertz: Thank you so much, Jennifer. I love that video that Alexis (Clark) put together for us.

Welcome to the Uptown 2020 Triennial TOWN HALL: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE. We are pleased to host today's program with thanks for support from Carrie Walker of the President's Office, and our many colleagues from Community Affairs and The Forum here at Columbia (University).

While we love to be in fellowship together, we must do so this time in this virtual space because of the pandemic. All of us have had to make the shift. The Wallach has extended and expanded the Uptown Triennial 2020 exhibition, which has limited in-person access but comprehensive virtual experiences.

This morning I am particularly excited and delighted to welcome you into a world of hope and daring and confidence that is the Uptown Triennial 2020. It was spurred by the synchronicity of the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance and the three year cycle of the triennial initiated in 2017. For the 2020 iteration, we have brought into focus Harlem's role as an artistic and intellectual hub, driven by the aspirational and physical space that has yielded a remarkable legacy for Black contemporary artists.

How we interact with personal and public spaces has been transformed by COVID-19. We have a heightened awareness of our need for spaces that are nurturing and safe havens from uncertainty. None of us can afford to take space for granted.

Earlier this year in June we presented the Uptown People's Assembly, a virtual space that was created at the height of the two pandemics. The intent was to be a space of sharing and listening in a specific moment in time. This was a deliberate and intentional use of space. Whereas the (Uptown People’s) Assembly had no agenda, the future of community spaces is

the agenda for today's Town Hall. This Town Hall is deliberate and intentional in examining the Harlem community’s relationship with personal and public spaces, as well as charting a path forward.

What are the many meaningful ideas that are already emerging from community lead efforts? With our heightened awareness of space, what do we value and what tools will we need to make public spaces more equitable, more nurturing, and more accessible?

So we are honored to have Stacy Lynch join us this morning. Stacey Lynch is the Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and a former Assistant Commissioner in the city's Department of Youth and Community Development. A native of Harlem and the daughter of political heavyweight Bill Lynch who served as a Deputy Mayor under legendary Mayor David Dinkins, who sadly passed this week - last week.

Stacy serves as a bridge between external government agencies and key community stakeholders, and is highly regarded in our city. Her experience in politics, law and community engagement has given her a strong understanding of the importance of good government and people-centered advocacy in community spaces. Her insight and community contributions, such as partnering with the WNBA to start a girls basketball league, the Junior Liberty League, in Harlem; collaborating on a yoga program at a local school; and partnering on outdoor fitness events this summer for young people in Harlem, make her a valuable public servant, an asset to the Harlem community. She's a graduate of Hampton University and Quinnipiac University School of Law.

So please join me in welcoming Stacy to the stage - to the virtual stage.

(VIDEO OF STACY LYNCH ONSCREEN.)

Stacy Lynch: Thank you Betti, for the very kind words. You took like the first five points of my speech (laughter). But -

Betti-Sue Hertz: That's a good thing.

Stacy Lynch: - thank you so much.

Betti-Sue Hertz: Of course, yeah, thank you so much.

Stacy Lynch: And thank you, Valerie (Kennedy) and Jennifer (Mock) for inviting me to this important forum. I'm honored to be here.

Again, I am a community member in what I believe is one of the richest communities and culture in history. I graduated with a bachelor's degree from the greatest HBCU on the planet, Hampton University, and received my JD from Quinnipiac University School of Law. And that is correct, I am currently Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Mayor's Office. But at my core, I

am a daughter of Harlem. As a lifetime Harlem resident I've seen my community change, and its richness and struggle to find its place in what my father and Mayor Dinkins referred to as “the beautiful mosaic”.

In 2017 I started Daughters of the Movement with Gina Belafonte; Suzanne Kay, daughter of Diahann Carroll; Hasna Muhammad, daughter of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis; Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X; Dominique Sharpton, daughter of Reverend Al Sharpton; (and) Keisha Sutton-James, the granddaughter of Percy Sutton - all who come from very strong legacies themselves. The reason why I started Daughters of the Movement is to really create a sisterhood, to create and provide that safe space.

And so when Valerie and Jennifer approached me about today's topic, you know, most people define spaces in terms of brick and mortar, and I wanted to have a conversation about the unconventional safe space - the safe space of our mind. So I want people to look at this, as Alexis (Clark) referred (to), from a different lens; a safe space where people feel comfortable to share ideas and power without discrimination or criticism.

And so the Harlem's Gang of Four, along with my father Bill Lynch, created a safe space to really build political power. David Dinkins, Charlie Rangel, Percy Sutton, (and) Basil Paterson built political power during a very difficult time in Harlem, what we call a drug epidemic; an epidemic which almost brought Harlem to its knees, with abandoned buildings and broken families. But the Gang of Four built a political power space to help cure some of those ills in our communities. Charlie Rangel was elected Congressman, and then ultimately became the Chair of (House) Ways and Means (Committee); Basil Paterson became a New York Senator and Secretary of State; Percy Sutton was the Manhattan Borough President and ultimately a powerful business leader in his own right; and David Dinkins became the Mayor of New York City. And these three - four gentlemen came together to form the Gang of Four. This is an example of creating an unconventional space to support communities like Harlem.

Today I believe this model is still very relevant, just as it was in previous years, like during the 1918 flu pandemic. Harlem was resilient then, and it's resilient now. The concept of creating a space begins in our mind. I look forward to having this conversation with you today, and again, thank you for the invitation.

(VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Thank you, Stacy. Thank you so much for opening this - for opening the event today with those words.

I would now like to bring forward an additional video reflection that also asks us to consider space. And we are joined by Paula Croxson from the Mortimer B. Zuckerman (Mind) Brain (Behavior) Institute at Columbia University.

(VIDEO OF PAULA CROXSON ONSCREEN. THE FOLLOWING IS TRANSCRIBED FROM THAT VIDEO.)

Paula Croxson: When I think of physical spaces - our homes, the spaces outdoors, the buildings around us - I also think about the difference between what makes something a space and what makes something a place. And that difference is other people, the social interactions that we have. Humans are social beings and the way that our brains process the places that we find ourselves in, the way that we make memories about those places, depends on our interactions with other people.

Right now we're all experiencing increased social isolation. And one thing that brings me hope in this time is that it turns out that people are not being as affected by social isolation as we might expect. They're actually showing increased resilience during this time. We're finding ways to connect with each other - virtually, outdoors - to stay connected and even to form new connections. In a way, we’re place-making, even when we can't gather in physical spaces.

(END OF VIDEO. VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Thank you. The combination of those three - the reflections that we've just heard have opened up for us a way to begin to start to articulate and perhaps think for ourselves about space. Words that we've heard include “resilience”, “space for the mind”, “spaces of safety”, and awareness of that.

Building off of that framework, we are now going to be joined by our panelists who will be making presentations that, in different ways, are going to be talking about space in the context of their work. And we've asked them to be able to share a little bit about that with us, and also in framing their thoughts about this, also reflecting on this current period (and) how they may have come to rethink their work and its relation to space during the pandemic.

Our first speaker this morning is Eric Pryor. Eric Pryor is the President of the Harlem School of the Arts. Founded in 1964, Harlem School of the Arts enriches the lives of young people and their families through world class training in and exposure to the arts across multiple disciplines in an environment that emphasizes rigorous training, stimulates creativity, builds self-confidence and adds a dimension of beauty to their lives. Please join me with a very warm welcome for Eric Pryor.

(VIDEO OF ERIC PRYOR ONSCREEN.)

Eric Pryor: Thank you, Jennifer. Hello, good morning everybody.

(“HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS - RENAISSANCE PROJET” TITLE IMAGE ONSCREEN.)

First, I'd like to - when I look at space I think, historically, I want to go back to HSA’s (Harlem School of the Arts) beginning. (PHOTO IMAGE OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE ORIGINAL HSA

BUILDING ONSCREEN) We were very fortunate to have Dorothy Maynor found HSA in 1964. When she founded HSA she wanted to look at how she could impact young Brown and Black children in Harlem. And her husband at the time, who was director at St. James Presbyterian Church, said that possibly doing classes, doing training for young children could be a way to help them to be able to navigate what was going on in America in the 1960s, which is not much different than now. One of the things I think that's first very interesting about that for me is that we were founded in the basement of St. James Presbyterian Church, and like a lot of our history in the African-American culture, that initial safe space for this sort of safe space to be creative and learn about the arts for children was in a church.

But Miss Maynor understood the value, the importance of space, and she understood the necessity of having one's own space. So in the early 1970s, she embarked upon creating (that). She bought property next door, they bought property next door to St. James Presbyterian Church. And at that time, they looked to raise money to build a new building there. Initially when she went around, she went to all the banks around town, they would not give her a loan, they would not give her the money to build the space. Finally she ran into a young Afro-Caribbean man who had been living - working with Bowery Savings Bank, Dr. Pazel Jackson. And she said, hey, we need this money - she needed a loan to be able to build the facility. Dr. Jackson, like others, felt like the collateral, it wasn't there, they would not loan the money. But he did go home that weekend and spoke with his parents - and he was struck by Dorothy Maynor, who was a renowned opera singer. And his parents said “Pazel, me and your mother went to Hampton Institute with Dorothy Maynor, you need to find a way to help her.” From there, they did make that loan and Dorothy Maynor paid it back.

What you see on the screen now is the original building that was built in 1975; 1975 was the groundbreaking and the building was built. Early on in 1978 - go to the next slide - (PHOTO IMAGE OF HSA CENTRAL HALL ONSCREEN) in 1978 the architects of HSA received the Bard Award for Excellence in Architecture and Urban Design, the architects Ulrich Franzen & Associates. The whole idea of what they were looking at and mentioning and what struck them was the grand - what they looked at as the “welcoming and grand” central hall that you see right there in the photo there, and the exterior courtyard. This amazing facility gave a safe space, it gave a space where children from all around, Harlem and beyond, could come and learn about the arts. Now HSA wasn't and still is not a traditional K-12 school. HSA is a place where people come during out of school time, and so many young people are able to learn.

Now one of the things I think is important with space, and one of the things that’s critical in space is, you know, here we were - because space provides so many opportunities and one of the main opportunities that it provides is entrepreneurship. And one of the things I think that has allowed HSA to survive some very tough times, is the fact that we were able to be entrepreneurial with our space. But with that being said, our building is thirty-seven thousand square feet. We have three dance studios, twelve private lesson music studios, five ensemble rooms and - along with this great hall and the courtyard and a black box theater. But all of these things are all wonderful and it allowed us over the years - over our coming up on sixty years of being involved in the arts in Harlem and bringing arts to the community in Harlem.

The upkeep of the building, we really had some real issues around deferred maintenance. And although we had just a wonderful space, we had leaks, we had a crumbling parapet, we needed our courtyard - the glass around, the storefront glass around the courtyard was eroding. And these were all things that made it very challenging and difficult - and as we all know, in owning space or if you own a home, maintenance and keeping up space can be extremely challenging. So organizations with large endowments or organizations with large reserves, you know, or funds that allow them to upkeep their facility, you know, allows them to function just more smoothly. But HSA unfortunately had its challenges and having those challenges the space provided opportunities, but at the same time our space provided us or created challenges.

Luckily, you know, we - because of our space and what we have, we were able to locate, you know, future donors and create future donors. And the donor that - one of the donors helped us to go into what we call now the Renaissance Project - go to the next slide. (PHOTO IMAGE OF NEW GLASS EXTERIOR OF HSA BUILDING) The Renaissance Project allowed us to really take out the brick that was in front of the building and really open the space up where people can see into the space. Because see, HSA was always - Ms. Maynor had always meant for that space to be a safe haven. In the 1970s when they built the space, New York City was very different - what was happening around the city was very different. So having where this wall that you see here (onscreen) being primarily brick, you know, created this oasis.

So on the inside, when you got inside, there was this wonderful grand room that you'll see on the next slide. This wonderful grand room (PHOTO IMAGE OF HSA ENTRANCE ONSCREEN) - I'm sorry, that's our entrance but we move forward a bit (in the slide presentation). (SEVERAL PHOTOS BRIEFLY SHARED ONSCREEN) In this room, essentially, is where everything happened within the context of the space. It's where we were able to, you know, have artist talks, is where people (TWO PHOTO IMAGES OF DOROTHY MAYNOR HALL ONSCREEN) - we would have concerts, we would have all types of different things and just really creating a home; a place where you know we could collaborate with other institutions and bring people in who would do artists talks and salon series. So ultimately, as you see here, I mean, the idea really was to open that up. Open up what they were - what they had created. And now what we refer to as Dorothy Maynor Hall, this wonderful space, it - at one level is grand in it's feeling, but at the same time intimate in it's presentation and when you do things within it.

Now I will say during this, it's an interesting time, you know, we just finished the project, (TWO PHOTO IMAGES OF HSA INTERIOR SPACES ONSCREEN) the construction was just completed last month. And we haven't been able to utilize the space yet due to the pandemic. But, you know, we’re still very hopeful. As Stacy (Lynch) mentioned earlier, the last pandemic we saw was in 1918 and following that pandemic in the 1920s we had the Harlem Renaissance. So we feel poised to be part of the, this next renaissance in Harlem.

And when you look at spaces like HSA, (PHOTO IMAGE OF HSA INTERIOR WORK SPACE ONSCREEN) one of the things that’s very important if you look at spaces like ours is that near other spaces where ownership has occurred, particularly around Harlem, and we look at the

brick, just looking at the brick and mortar institutions cultural (TWO PHOTO IMAGES OF HSA COURTYARD ONSCREEN) - you know, from Harlem School of the Arts to the Apollo (Theater) to the Studio Museum to the Gatehouse to Aaron Davis Hall. There's so many institutions, but these institutions rooted in Harlem because of the Harlem Renaissance and that history and that legacy. And I think that having these institutions in Harlem and being positioned to really be a platform for our cultural legacy and our cultural expression, there's a real opportunity to see the next phase of what we have to bring to the table as a community culturally, within Harlem and its surrounding areas.

With our own space we feel like there's an opportunity to really function, not only as a place for young people to be able to come and learn to dance, and learn to play instruments, or sing, to do film, (TWO HSA INTERIOR PHOTOS SHOWN BRIEFLY ONSCREEN, TWO PHOTOS OF DOROTHY MAYNOR HALL STAY ONSCREEN) or to do theater; there also is an opportunity for us to bring, you know, to create a whole cultural village, to create a cultural collaborative. We have partners like The Harlem Chamber Players who have presented in our space, the Harlem Opera Theatre, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. These are some of the groups that we have partnered with who have presented in the space before the construction and will be presenting in the space after the construction.

I will be remiss if I didn't say that a large part of doing this project also was about positioning HSA to really be able to monetize our space. We learned quite a bit from, you know, ownership over these years, and one thing you realize is that we had to bring in revenue that would help stabilize the institution and also put us in a position where we were able to care for our space. So making this space attractive for rentals and events or film shoots or things that could bring money in. And then when we partner with some of the organizations that I named earlier, recognizing that we could go jointly, develop grants to present their programming, so we're able to make certain that we're bringing in the revenue that’s necessary to make certain that our space will always be there, you know, for the future.

And one of the things I think that’s so important when I look at the brilliance of Dorothy Maynor and just her being so ahead of her - just being so ahead and being such a visionary was recognizing, was that the power of owning space and having one's own space really cemented the legacy, her legacy, in terms of this organization. We've been there and been where we are in that building since the mid 1970s, we've been there on that area of Harlem since 1964. And to a large extent, you know, weathering some of the challenges of an institution that we had were made possible because we were able to be entrepreneurial and really utilize our space. And be creative and because, you know, in many ways, the space has been a lifeline to the organization in making certain we were able to sustain what our founder intended for us to do early on and what we continue to do now. This wouldn't have been possible without her vision and her foresight.

In particular with the arts, safe space is critical. Oftentimes, you know, creativity is an area where people oftentimes question people who are creative, or, you know, it's just, it's a very intimate experience to be creative. And particularly for our children, when one is being creative

and sort of baring their soul to the world it's important that you create a space which is nurturing, which is a safe space. The other thing also is, is that when we did the space, particularly what you're looking at now (onscreen), we made certain that we brought in a top acoustician to make certain the acoustics were at the top; to make certain that when our students presented or guests came in to present that they had world class acoustics. That it had a world class just feeling to it, just so when people were there they felt special, that they felt that they were on hollow ground in terms of what this institution represents to Harlem.

I want to thank you once again for inviting us to share a little bit about Harlem School of the Arts and our journey and how it intertwines with our space. I would be remiss if I didn't say during the pandemic, we had to - our space has been closed for classes since March and everything we've done has been virtually online through HSA at home. And what that has done for us I would say is really begin to understand proximity and think about proximity differently. Proximity, you know, for us was, you know, having a space that people could come to, and in the pandemic proximity was redefined by people's ability to come together on platforms like we're on today with Zoom. Which meant we were able to see students come to us from other countries, which, we have other - from Los Angeles, other parts of the United States. So, we will continue that platform, the virtual platform, the online platform. But I do think there is, you know, but also we recognize that the... Who we are as a brick and mortar and the space we occupy in Harlem is essential, and making certain that the community that we're in proximity to on St. Nicholas and 141st and the surrounding area still utilize Harlem School of the Arts as part of their experiences, whether it's through training or as an audience member in consuming the cultural arts.

Thank you very much.

Jennifer Mock: Eric, thank you so much. Thank you for bringing the Harlem School of the Arts to this Town Hall this morning.

I would now like to introduce Gabriel Garmon. Gabriel Garmon is a Wardrobe Stylist and the Creative Director for Officially Gabriel, as well as fashion writer for Delux magazine. In June of this year, he organized a demonstration in remembrance of George Floyd that called on participants to wear their best as a sign of tribute and respect. Over 1,000 people joined that march as it made its way down Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. Gabriel, I'm so glad that you're able to join us this morning, just give us a moment, we're going to bring up your presentation deck. And now let's welcome Gabriel Garmon.

(PRESENTATION DECK IMAGES ONSCREEN, REPEATING ON LOOP THROUGHOUT THE FOLLOWING TEXT.)

Gabriel Garmon: Thank you so much, Jennifer. So as she said, my name is Gabriel. I’m a Wardrobe Stylist. I'm originally from St. Louis, Missouri. I've lived in Harlem for the last four years now.

And when I think of space, I think of security, where safety and equality is essential to exist. So over the summer during the pandemic, we all were on pins and needles and things like that - sorry - and I know during George Floyd I had just had enough. My first experience with demonstration of protesters was back in 2004 in St. Louis Ferguson with the Mike Brown shooting. And at that time just me and some colleagues we would all rally together and organize and just think of ways of what can we do - like this, this has to stop.

Fast forward to this past year, I was laying literally like laying in my bed and the video (was) circulating of George Floyd’s death and it just hurt so bad. And me being a Wardrobe Stylist, I'm like, okay, what can I do? How could I merge the two? Because I know how big a role fashion plays in the world and what can my community and Black creatives do? So I joined other creatives, my friend Brandon (Murphy) and also my friend Harold (Waight), and we put a call to action together and social media was such a big like wildfire. We put a call to action together and sent it out, and literally in two days it kind of like exploded. Everyone was like, oh, what's going on in Harlem? What - should we do it?

So we chose 125th (Street) and 7th (Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard) because of the historic history that it has - being (that) the Apollo Theater is there - and just how big a part that it plays in Harlem itself. So we did that. And we just recommend everyone to just wear a suit and tie, wear just something nice, just for visual purposes. We also wanted to honor George Floyd, but it also brought me back to some of the biggest historic moments in history. One being like the Black Panther Movement and their iconic black leather and black turtlenecks and things like that. Another would be the Women's Liberation Movement, and like the burning of the bras. All these things, they tie back into the wardrobe and how that look, that unity, is really what pushed it along.

We called for 100 men in Harlem, but it ended up being people joining from the streets so we had well over 1,000 people. Along with that, I had many city organizers reaching out to me. We connected with so many people. I started working with James Felton Keith and also Corey Ortega which is (from) the city, city council in Harlem. And from there, we got people registering to vote - just being more aware and more enlightened on what's going on. And how important it is to register to vote, to vote, and also how big the smaller elections are, in comparison to like the presidential elections. Like they're all important - you all should know what's going on and who are you putting in office to represent you.

And so, yeah, that along with - sorry I’m looking at my notes. Okay, so back to the demonstration over the summer. And I also looked at it as a place for other creatives and groups to express themselves. I know one particular group would be (indecipherable). That actually gave them a space and just gave them a visual moment. Because like we're all suffering during the pandemic, no one really knew like what was going on and how to come together. So I just took it - that as a moment to do that.

And like, looking back on some of the images from the actual march, it just reminded me of the Civil Rights Movement and those powerful photos of Malcolm X and Martin (Luther King Jr.) -

and especially the black and white photos that we received back. I mean, it's just such a reminiscences - reminiscent of the importance and how influential Harlem is.

And that’ll be all. Thank you.

(END OF PRESENTATION DECK IMAGES. VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON AND THEN OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Thank you. Thank you, Gabriel for sharing that. And for again, creating the space to do so and introducing into this as well creatives and the role of creativity.

Our next presentation is from Esther Walker-Grant. Esther Walker-Grant is an independent Teaching Artist and Rehearsal Assistant Artistic Director of Batoto Yetu Dance Company. For over two decades she has carved a niche in the folkloric dance instructor community of Harlem, providing free intergenerational classes, community events, and workshops. Let's please welcome Esther. (VIDEO OF ESTHER GRANT-WALKER ONSCREEN.)

Esther Grant-Walker: Good morning. I'm so happy to be here this morning. I'm going to be sharing some photos with you of the current work that I'm doing, and just talk about my history with space in Harlem as it pertains to African dance. So I'm just going to set up my slide presentation.

(SLIDE PRESENTATION ONSCREEN, DIFFERENT SLIDES PLAY THROUGHOUT THE FOLLOWING TEXT.)

Okay. Alrighty, so, space. Space is such an interesting thing, and our relationship withh space is such an interesting thing. Over the past few weeks space has been Marcus Garvey Park. Myself, Darlene Carr, and Negesti have been providing African dance and community wellness activities free to the community. And this came out of the current pandemic situation that is happening.

Little bit about my history of dance in Harlem, is that (I) taught African dance for over three decades in Harlem, and was really thrust into being a teacher. I was studying African dance for quite a while and then I started to go to Harlem to take classes because I was residing in the Bronx at the time. While dancing with Forces of Nature (Dance Theatre), the Executive Director Abdel Salaam needed someone to substitute a class and decided that I would be the person to substitute. I was mortified and terrified because I didn't think I was ready, but that push, that support thrust me into a world that I had been primed for from when I was a child. My parents developed community programs for youth in the 70s when we didn't have that in the Bronx, where I was raised. And we sewed costumes, made shows, had homework help - our apartment became the community center. And so I was being groomed for this in the 1970s, to take on this type of responsibility. But I knew that there was no way that I would be able to do something like this alone and that we needed a community to do so.

So, in relationship to space, space became anywhere that we could assemble, right? So the space was the playground, the space was the living room, (VIDEO CLIP OF A BATOTO YETU COMPANY DANCERS REHEARSING OUTDOORS ONSCREEN) the space was the street; as dancers space could be the train platform going over a combination that we learned in the class that we just left. Space was just something that we needed, right? (VIDEO CLIP ENDS, SLIDES RESUME ONSCREEN) So now we are thrust into this pandemic and our space became our home. A lot of fear, a lot of tension, a lot of loneliness - that was the space that we were in, that mental headspace. And so the online environment became something that was important to us.

So I started teaching again on Zoom, on this platform, in May. (VIDEO CLIP OF TWO DANCERS DANCING OUTSIDE ONSCREEN) And from the moment that I started teaching the question was when can we dance together, you know? And so the mindset was we are dancing together, we're dancing alone, together. Right? We create this environment, we see the screen, we talk to each other and we develop a sense of community. And then when it became safe it was where do we go? So my relationship with dance is in Harlem and I wanted to be in Harlem. And I wanted to be in a place that created wonderful memories for me and also (VIDEO CLIP ENDS, SLIDES RESUME ONSCREEN) helped to develop that sense of community, in terms of community cultural African dance. So Marcus Garvey Park was the place to be, right.

Summer of 2019, (VIDEO CLIPS OF DANCERS DANCING OUTSIDE PLAY ONSCREEN) I was part of the Mothership Harlem Dance Club celebration and I taught a class on - in the (Richard Rogers) Amphitheatre, on the stage. And so, in thinking about getting everyone together, wow, that's a perfect place (Richard Rogers Amphitheatre) because the surface is wonderful for dancing and we could be contained and the acoustics were fine and we could just do wonderful things in that space. Upon going downtown, I realized that that space became a space for living for our homeless population. And so I was able to look at the lawn and see where there was open space and boom, here we are, we're on Fifth Avenue dancing next to the Pelham Fritz Recreation Center. And I found out that someone else had also been dancing there, so we moved to the east side on the Madison Avenue side of the (Marcus Garvey) park. And as you can see (from the videos onscreen), you know, we dance outside, we dance safely. It's a wonderful open area, (VIDEO ENDS, SLIDES RESUME ONSCREEN) we have beautiful sunlight, and it made me remember and reminisce how 25 years ago that was the norm, right?

The other thing I think about space and dancing in Harlem, is how space had evaporated over the course of three decades. There was a time when I could dance seven days a week in Harlem, indoors or outdoors. And as funding changed, as the demographic changed, those things evaporated. So there was a time where I could dance at the bathhouse (Mt. Morris Baths or Mount Morris Turkish Baths) on a Saturday for two hours. There was a time where I could dance at the Harlem Y(MCA), and downstairs was the (indecipherable). There was a time at Grant's Tomb, after I would teach at Synod Hall on 110th Street, that we would go to dance after the Jazzmobile was over, and we'd be out there till about eleven o'clock at night. There was a time where we would dance in front of the Harlem State Office Building (Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building), (END OF SLIDE SHOW) just for the sake of dancing, just for the sake

of fellowship. And those things were just so important to us. There were beacon programs that had dance available to the community. And this is something (VIDEO OF ESTHER GRANT-WALKER ONSCREEN) that we have lost but have the ability to regain.

And so when I think about the future and us reclaiming spaces, I think about the fact that public spaces are for the public and we are the public. And number one, establishing that we are a community, right; we're not just people that like to dance, but we're actually a community of people that have a common interest in dance. And the interest can be subjective, but the theme is the dance, right? So some people dance for exercise, some people dance because they are pursuing dance as a profession, some people dance not to be lonely, to network. There's all types of reasons why people dance, some people dance for their mental health. But the dance is what unifies us. And the space, and the allocation of space, and the ability to be in a space is what makes it very crystal for people to see and understand that it's important.

And so I would say that, you know, our next ten years depends on our community being strengthened, our community being supported, and us as a community advocating to go in Marcus Garvey Park and be able to dance, or go in Central Park and be able to dance; to be at the Plaza, to be at Grant's Tomb and be able to dance; for the drummers to be able to play in Prospect Park, in Central Park. In whatever borough that you live, it's it's integral that we elevate our voices to say, you know, this is something that we need

The very first class that I taught out at Marcus Garvey Park, (the) people that showed up were just so overjoyed at being able to see each other in person, not through a screen on Zoom, and the exuberance. And no one wanted to leave, we lingered for about two hours after the class was over, you know. And I so appreciate people traveling, and they traveled - they traveled from Connecticut, they traveled from New Jersey. They were Harlem residents, Bronx residents, Brooklyn, Staten Island. And, you know, to create such a feeling of exuberance, a feeling of support: I'm here for you, I know you've been alone, I know you've been locked in your house, but, you know, I want you to know that I'm here. Those are the important things that space allows us; space to come together, space to move together, connecting energy, exchange information, you know. Human people, human beings need contact, human beings need each other, and space allows that. So I'm hoping that we will be able to continue to have access to these spaces. That we don't become what gentrification brought to Marcus Garvey park where you can drum, but you can only drum over here next to this tree for two hours. Whereas we had a lot of more freedom (in the past) to express ourselves and freedom to be artistic.

The last thing that I do want to say is that I am so grateful to be here to represent a person such as myself. I'm not the only African dance teacher, or dance teacher that is using parks. There's a huge movement of underground hip-hop artists, other West African dance teachers, and (Reverend) Nafisa Sharriff, someone that I love, that has been in Harlem doing this longer than I have, she's in her fourth decade of teaching. There are all of the hip-hop kids, all of the Litefeet Nation, the Congolese dancers, Thelma Loubaki. Sister Negesti that does our guided meditation, a young person that has been in arts programming for so many years that comes out there and is sharing her understanding of mental health practices. And then the other

person I want to say is Darlene Carr; she does my warm up, and Darlene was one of the first African-Americans to represent Reebok during the aerobic, the aerobic exercise craze. So, you know, these are people that are pushing. They are pushing, and it is very clear to me that we are strong and we are here.

So, you know, I thank you. I hope that you support all of the artists and arts organizations that are here. Thank you so much.

(VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Thank you. Thank you, Esther Grant-Walker. I'm sorry, I reverted the name before, but Esther Grant-Walker. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in the reflection of space, and the sharing and the need that is there and giving voice to that. Thank you. Thank you.

Our next presenter is Thomas Boatswain, who is the co-founder of JTW Fit. JTW Fit is a fitness hub that's based in Harlem and it was founded by Thomas Boatswain and Jahkeen Washington. Together, they help clients reach their goals through customized workout regimens. Their programs are designed to motivate and challenge clients all while promoting the importance of health and physical fitness, especially during this pandemic. Currently their fitness program offers a unique package that's inclusive of virtual and in person training sessions. Let's come together now and have a very warm welcome for Thomas Boatswain. Thomas, take it away. Thank you.

(VIDEO OF THOMAS BOATSWAIN ONSCREEN.)

JTW FIT (Thomas Boatswain): Thank you, Jennifer. As Jennifer said, my name is Thomas Boatswain, I’m the co-founder of JTW Fit. My partner Jahkeen and I, we started this company about eight years ago. Unfortunately he couldn't be here today, (he) had to take care of some family matters, but he's here with us in spirit. I also want to thank Columbia (University) and the Wallach for letting us come in and just talk about our story, especially during this time period.

To kind of give you guys an idea of what we're about, I’m just going to show you guys a quick video to kind of just let you know what our energy is about and how we started and kind of how - kind of the place we're at right now. Just give me one second to share my screen here, and I'll get you guys started

(FROZEN VIDEO ONSCREEN.)

All these Zoom classes and now I can’t do it, huh.

Wallach Art Gallery 2: Thomas, I'm just gonna jump in here. I think if you press the spacebar the video should start playing.

JTW FIT (Thomas Boatswain): Gotcha. Here we go. Sorry about that guys, for the delay.

(VIDEO PLAYS ONSCREEN)

JTW FIT (Thomas Boatswain): Alright, so for those who don't know, again, once again, my name is Thomas Boatswain. I’m the co-founder of JTW Fit. So that video right there represents how we started, and what position we're in right now due to the pandemic.

Our journey started at Riverbank Park, on 145th (Street) and Riverside (Drive). My partner and I - slash my best friend - we actually decided to originally do something for just supplemental income. Times were hard during that time, so we just needed to make sure we were able to support our family and everybody else. So we started our classes at Riverbank Park. And initially, we were just doing it just to have something extra to do, and we realized what type of impact we were having on (the) community and the people that were joining. It's been a long journey and we realized that we actually built a space that people, you know, didn't realize that they actually needed.

As we do know that gyms uptown aren't really frequent. Right now we may have a couple, but for the most part most people for the last ten years have been going downtown to work out. When you come uptown you don't see spaces like Equinox or these high class gyms that offer, you know, all these amenities and just these services. It's almost like we were left in the dark. And most of what you see uptown and just in communities of color are just people outside working out - again, that's how we started. So we kind of wanted to build a space where we can give you that, that vintage feel of what our community represents, but also show you what - that you deserve these other amenities that other places are giving that aren't really giving us that opportunity to kind of know or feel out.

So that's when my partner and I decided to go full throttle and open up a fitness studio in Harlem. We’re located on 132nd (Street) and 7th (Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard). Our fitness studio has multiple amenities; we offer classes that are affordable for the community. And the difference between our classes and maybe a place such as a New York Sports Club, an Equinox, or a super high class gym is that we're not just going to leave you in the dark. And I think that one of the biggest problems when it comes to gyms is that people go in and just don't know what to do and feel threatened and just don't feel secure. They don't actually feel like they belong in the space. And I think the problem is people think that looking for a space - but it's not about just looking for a space and just finding a space, it’s about also thinking you actually belong in the space. And that's been one of our biggest mantras. I mean, again, JTW Fit stands for “Journey Towards Wellness and Fitness” and we wanted to actually help you on your journey, and show you that you can belong here and you can stay here. So our facility - we offer personal training, we offer in-depth explanations when you're taking classes in the studio. And even when we’re outdoors or on our virtual platform, we give you the same attention that we would give you in person.

Again, during the pandemic... Obviously we’ve had some tough moments, we've had some tough deaths and things we had to witness; maybe things that we saw before, but weren't in the

forefront of our minds due to other things going on. I mean just, maybe just going back and forth and like going to work, having a natural routine - but I think once our routines were stopped we were able to focus on some of the difficult things that were going on in the world. And it was very difficult on the people who take our classes, friends and family - I mean, at the end of the day it was pretty difficult on most people. One of our big - one of the things we tried to do was just offer space you know, offering outdoor classes during the pandemic to kind of take your mind off it. As you know, fitness in general produces endorphins, endorphins make you feel good. If I'm making you feel good, it's likely that you won't think about some of these negative moments and some of these negative things that are happening in your current life, or that are being presented on the media.

We also want to build a sense of toughness. I mean, working out you obviously get physically tough, but you also get mentally tough. I mean, usually people come in (and) when they start they feel like it's a difficult task and they can't do it and they always want to pull back; but (they) don't actually realize how strong and, you know, how superior they really are. I think that the mind and who we are as a community, we're very resilient, and I think that sometimes we just need to put people on the right path and show them that they can actually get there. Um, so that's been one of our biggest goals during this pandemic, just to get everybody's mind off of that, you know, as best as we can. It's been, like I said, it's been a difficult time period. We, you know, obviously I've been going through it, my partner Jahkeen’s been going through it, our families have been going through it, and it's been tough for us to juggle our own emotions with what we have going on and also help other people. We feel like as leaders of the community that we need to make sure that we're here for you guys. And honestly, being here for you guys, you know, helps us. It's a, it's a family environment - we help you, you help us, we help each other. We wanted to make sure that we actually showed that.

Our space in general just, it's just a place of comfort. As we, as I said previously, people aren't really comfortable going to the gym and also just aren't really comfortable just breaking out of their (indecipherable). Plenty of us, whether it’s in our personal life, whether what’s going on at home, or at work, or just growth and development - it's hard for us to break our shell. I can tell you that personally, like I've had my moments in life, it's very difficult for people to do that. And I think that we wanted to kind of offer a space where people can do that here and also grow. We rent our space out to other creatives of color, we rent our space out to other fitness enthusiasts. We give them a chance to grow and give them a chance to have a space and just build their brand. We weren't always afforded that opportunity. And I can actually go back and remember that when we first started, we actually couldn't even get a bank account, not because we didn't have the funds to do it, but because everybody was denying us based on the amount of funds that we had to do it in the beginning. It was pretty tough, and I never wanted to actually have - I never wanted that to happen to anybody else, and dealing with what we were dealing with, (SLIDESHOW PRESENTATION STARTS PLAYING ONSCREEN) or trying to build something that we were trying to build. It's, you know, we wanted to sit here and just, you know, obviously just sit there and promote something that can kind of help people out.

As you can see right now, we built that. As you can see there in these pictures - this slideshow is going to constantly run - you can see how we brought people together from all different shapes, colors and sizes, all different fitness backgrounds. And it's nice to know again that you belong. This is a picture of our grand opening as you see right there - and again, all these slides are gonna keep going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, right. But again, we just wanted to show that we can have a place where people can feel comfortable and safe. And I just think that's the biggest thing in society, especially for individuals of color, because as you know, it's already been hard enough for us to feel safe outside in our communities, and also just in public with everything that's going on.

I definitely appreciate, once again, Columbia (University) having us, also the Wallach. I look forward to answering some of these questions, and just speaking my mind on some of the topics that we have at hand.

(SLIDESHOW ENDS. VIDEO OF THOMAS BOATSWAIN ONSCREEN.)

Alright, back to you, Jennifer. (VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Thank you. Thank you, Thomas Boatswain - thank you, the power of the mind. Thank you for those words.

Our final presentation from our panelists is going to be Eric K. Washington. Eric K. Washington is an independent historian. His most recent book is the 2019 Boss of the Grips: The Life of James H. Williams and the Red Caps of Grand Central Terminal (IMAGE OF BOSS OF THE GRIPS… BOOK COVER, ALONG WITH OTHER RELATED IMAGES, ONSCREEN), winner of the Herbert H. Lehman Prize (for Distinguished Scholarship in New York History), and just last evening, nominated for a 2021 GANYC New York Apple Award, which is such great news to hear. Eric is also the author of Manhattanville: Old Heart of West Harlem. Please join me now in welcoming Eric K. Washington. Thank you.

Eric K. Washington: Thank you, Jennifer. I'm sorry, am I on?

Jennifer Mock: You’re on.

Eric K. Washington: Okay. Thank you, Jennifer. (When) asked to define a space in my work... I note that, you know, several of the other panelists here represent fields that evoke often iconically signature impressions of space, like a dance floor, a Proscenium acting stage, a fashion model’s runway, a gym, or even a historic residential district outlined on the map. But the concept of space was much more amorphously defined for me I'd have to say. For writing a man's biography, space was necessarily composite and abstract. The physical and geographical spaces that he inhabited were often evocatively irregular spaces, irregular shapes. And with those puzzle pieces I tried to reconstitute the flesh and bones, as well as the elastic shadow of a once solid man's forgotten life. And to understand how his sense of purpose

intersected with the evolving social and cultural world of Black New Yorkers in the ever changing metropolis.

So I wrote about this man named James H. Williams. He was an African American New Yorker, born in 1878 to formerly enslaved parents from Virginia. He was one of the first discernible waves of Blacks who were moving up to Harlem at the beginning of the last century. In 1903 he integrated the all white railroad station attendant system of the new Grand Central Terminal that was then under construction. His hire quickly gave rise to the station’s all Black crew of Harlem-based Red Cap Porters, as they were called because of their red caps, a system that other railroad stations emulated nationwide. And for almost half a century, until his death in 1948, Williams fairly personified one of the most iconic labor sectors of America’s Jim Crow segregation era.

Now Chief Williams, as he was called, was notable for a couple of things. One was his association with the New York City's pioneer Black civil servants: (Samuel) Jesse Battle who was his Assistant Chief Red Cap, became the city's first black policeman in 1911, and then eight years later Williams’ his own son, Wesley Williams in 1919, became Manhattan's first Black fireman. But the other thing was Chief Williams hired literally hundreds of young Black college students, creating an occupational space from up and down the eastern seaboard, who were really eager for work in those years that straddled the famous Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. As journalist and Harlem politician Earl Brown would attest, years after he had Red Capped himself to get through Harvard “only because the Chief had a big heart and was proud of his race were hundreds of young colored men able to go through college.”

Jennifer Mock: Eric, I'm sorry, I just wanted to let you know your camera is muted (SLIDE WITH PHOTO OF JAMES H. WILLIAMS AND HIS FAMILY ONSCREEN) - if you wanted to be seen, to show your video.

Eric K. Washington: Okay, let's see. Are you not seeing the video?

Jennifer Mock: No, it's if we - we’re just not seeing you. If you wanted to show yourself on video, to start your video.

Eric K. Washington: Um, I can't figure out how to get… I’ll come back later.

Jennifer Mock: Okay, I just wanted to let you know. Thank you.

Eric K. Washington: Thank you. (SLIDE WITH PHOTO OF JAMES H. WILLIAMS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS ONSCREEN) So, you know, in many ways Williams’ various relationships with Harlem's physical community spaces of a century ago, brought him and others into clearer focus. Not a few more spaces - not a few of them happened to be spaces that he helped to define, either directly or by association. And some of these were built social venues like recreation and banquet halls and athletic fields; others were organic, unplanned, occasional, even ephemeral spaces. And still others were what I would call like “extra” Harlem

spaces that reflected Harlem's influence elsewhere. And anyway, the disparate ways in which I saw Harlem's spaces being used really gave me a greater sense of their potency. The storied Harlem Renaissance emerged to me as important for its entrepreneurial, professional, and civic engagement, as for artistic and literary flourishing.

So these are just a few random images that I thought may serve as impressions for thinking about reinventing spaces as we move forward. The people of Williams’ Harlem exemplified the African American resolve of making a way out of no way, a challenge that coinciding social crises of the COVID pandemic and systemic racism is now resting upon us all. (SLIDES SKIP AND LAND ON SLIDE WITH PHOTO IMAGES OF WESLEY WILLIAMS) And I'll breeze through - this was his son, Wesley. You can see that he was a fitness professional as well as a fireman, and he would use the Harlem YMCA to give demonstration performances of wrestling, fitness, weightlifting, and what have you, for the Harlem community. (SLIDE WITH PHOTO IMAGES OF GERTRUDE WILLIAMS ONSCREEN) Williams’ daughter Gertrude was a manicurist in Harlem. She won prizes for beauty, particularly for her bobbed hair. But a lot of these events where she was competing were to like raise money to build recreation spaces for Harlem children.

(SLIDES SKIP AND LAND ON SLIDE WITH IMAGES AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS RELATED TO THE RED CAPS INVOLVEMENT WITH THE WWI WAR EFFORT.)

A lot of the community that he created, that Williams created, out of Grand Central Terminal space among the Red Caps went into raising money for the war effort during WWI. (SLIDE WITH PHOTO IMAGE OF RED CAP ORCHESTRA ONSCREEN) Trying to sustain the morale of these gentlemen during what was really a grunt job, he created several organizations, one of which was an orchestra. And that had the benefit of not just being for entertainment, but they toured as part of the NAACP as part of a recruitment for - a component, musical component for recruitment. It also made the men autonomous so that they could hire themselves out elsewhere, to help make a living. They were strongly identified with the San Janeiro festival in Little Italy for instance, throughout the 30s, where a lot of the young people coming up wanted to hear this new music, jazz, being played as opposed to just the old Italian arias. (SLIDE WITH IMAGE OF AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR A RED CAP ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE) And they played also at the famous Lafayette theater in Harlem.

(SLIDE WITH PHOTO IMAGE OF MEMBERS OF RED CAP BASEBALL CLUB ONSCREEN.)

Another thing that he did was he created a baseball team which played on one of the many little sort of random pockets that were fields. This one was Lenox Oval which was situated along 145th Street between Lenox and 7th Avenue. So again, these were community spaces because everybody loved baseball, everyone was conscious of who was playing, and plus they represented both Harlem, being an all Black team, and Grand Central (Station), as you can see from their jerseys with the logo.

(SLIDE WITH PHOTO IMAGE OF WILLIAMS CUP TROPHY BEING PRESENTED ONSCREEN.)

Athletics was an incredible motivation for Williams for organizing a lot of his, all lot of the Red Cap workers. But what he also did was he contributed to the morale of students, particularly who were playing tennis while they were attending a lot of the HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). This young man (in the photo) is holding the Williams Cup, which was an $800 Tiffany silver cup that was the highest award of the American Tennis Association. This was the - is the oldest Black ongoing athletic association in America that was founded in 1916.

(SLIDE WITH PHOTO IMAGE OF “COLLEGE CORNER” AND RELATED NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS ONSCREEN.)

And then there was suddenly these sort of virtual spaces, that sort of - that were inferred. This (image onscreen) was referred to as the “Campus”, you might recognize it as the corner of 135th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard or 7th Avenue. A lot of young men in the 1920s who were coming to Harlem from all these different schools were living at the YMCA, at the white building on the extreme right (of the photo onscreen). And they would hang out on the street, not just hanging out, but they knew they'd be there for people to hire them, which is why a lot of them came to New York during the summer months or during the holiday season. But they also had an opportunity, a rare opportunity, to network with each other. So this was often the first time that a lot of Black students from Southern schools met Black students from a lot of the New England schools or local New York City schools.

(SLIDE WITH PHOTO IMAGES AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS RELATED TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS MEMORIAL PARK ONSCREEN.)

And then as I refer to sort of “extra” Harlem community spaces - probably nothing is more of a community space than say, a cemetery. This was Harlem's rural cemetery situated on Staten Island, Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, which was organized by African American businessmen from Harlem in 1935, and it's still an active cemetery. A lot of notables are buried there who figured prominently during the Harlem Renaissance years.

(SLIDE WITH PHOTO IMAGE OF COLORED SCHOOL NUMBER FOUR AND RELATED IMAGES ONSCREEN.)

And another place that’s not in Harlem but represents Harlem, is the school that Williams went to at the end of the 19th century, it was called Colored School Number Four. This is the last building of several Colored Schools that were in Manhattan. (It’s) still there, I'm trying to get it landmarked now on 17th Street in what's now fashionably Chelsea - but at the time Williams was growing up, it was considered one of the “Black belts”, where many families like his own would eventually move uptown to Harlem.

(SLIDE WITH HEADSHOT IMAGES OF RED CAP ALUMS ONSCREEN.)

And this is just a smattering of many recognizable people who came through the Red Cap system in order to defray their school costs as they were pursuing their degrees. Some names you'll remember, obviously like Adam Clayton Powell, Paul Robeson; others will be a bit more remote. The top photo of Earl Brown is the fellow I mentioned who was responsible as a city councilman for creating the bill that established Frederick Douglass Circle in 1950. It took 65 years until Frederick Douglass’ statue was mounted there, five years ago. So a lot of these kind of reflect how Harlem is not just in Harlem, within the geographical surroundings of Harlem, but how all of these careers kind of broadcast the Harlem experience all over the world, not just all over the city and the country.

(IMAGE OF BOSS OF THE GRIPS… BOOK COVER ONSCREEN.)

So just to close, I would say that, you know, if you - a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of introducing Mayor De Blasio as he dedicated a couple of spaces for, to reflect the African American experience: James Baldwin Lawn and Langston Hughes Playground. And I think while these are not be-all-end-all moves, these are great initiatives for starting to think about how to reinvent public spaces as we move forward through the pandemic.

One of the things that's sort of the legacy question for me is that I had to move on what I could do is - I am sharing the Black Lives Matter Committee for BIO, which is the Biographers International Organization. And we just created and are launching right now a call for submissions for biographers like myself, of - who are focusing on Black figures of any time period that reflect the African American experience. African American being all of the Americas, North Central, Caribbean, and South America. And it's named after Frances “Frank” Rollin who was the earliest known Black biographer from her 1868 biography of Martin Delany. So, thank you.

(VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Eric, I want to thank you so much. Thank you for that presentation. And I'd like to thank all of our presenters this morning for sharing their perspectives.

As we are now going to begin to turn to the moderated discussion period, I'd like to invite our panelists to unmute themselves. And now I have the honor of introducing our moderator, Valerie Kennedy.

Valerie Kennedy is a mission-driven attorney, blogger, speaker, and diversity strategist who served as a Senior Mayoral Advisor and New York City's first diversity chief of the Economic Development Corporation. Valerie represents an innovative voice in the diversity and equity space. Valerie's experience with community engagement and connection with city real estate projects, along with her personal passion and strong interest in urban planning and architecture - as evidenced by her collaboration with Dwell magazine and the New York chapter of AIA

(American Institute of Architects) during it's October event series - informs her moderator role for this event. In the Mayor's Office and through her community board work she has worked closely with groups and stakeholders who have been compelled to reconstruct the relationship to urban spaces or have elevated their concerns to advocacy campaigns for equitable design.

I would just like to say in working with Valerie on this program, her vision has been a constant source of inspiration, and I thank you for that Valerie. And now here is Valerie Kennedy. Thank you.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Hi everyone. Let me just adjust my view. Can you all see me okay? Can everyone say - okay. Alrighty, can all the panelists, do you mind going to video so I can see your (faces)? Yes, thank you. Let me just expand this out a little bit. Okay, fantastic.

I'm really delighted to have this opportunity to have worked with Columbia (University) and the Wallach Art Gallery. Jennifer Mock has been just a consummate professional. Working with her, working with Lewis Long, and Zachary (Valdez) who's our AV guy, has been a real delight. And as someone who feels strongly about these issues, I'm really just happy that we are able to explore them more fully.

I want to start by referencing the great words of a poet, philosopher, and sage from the American canon: the great Maya Angelou. And I want to start with a few lines from her incredible poem called “A Brave and Startling Truth”.

It begins like this:

“We, this people, on a small and lonely planet Traveling through casual space Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns To a destination where all signs tell us It is possible and imperative that we learn A brave and startling truth”

I want to begin - because there have been so many rich themes and connected themes in this presentation and in the remarks delivered by everyone. I want to talk first about the “small and lonely” space forced upon us by the pandemic, and how you confronted or discovered “a brave and startling truth” and what was your response to that to that discovery?

I want to open that up to whomever would like to be brave enough to to start the discussion. And so I'll repeat again: In navigating the “small and lonely” space forced upon us by the pandemic, what was the “brave and startling truth” that you encountered? And what was your response to that?

(VIDEO OF THOMAS BOATSWAIN ONSCREEN.)

JTW FIT (Thomas Boatswain): Alright, I guess I'll take it. The truth that myself and my business partner kind of realized is that - and it's going to sound harsh - is that nobody cares. We're a small business, not only that we're a small Black business and we're young. I'm 34, my business partner’s 35. We’re not that old, we’re very young in the business world, young entrepreneurs. When it was time for us to sit here and figure out how to, you know, stay alive financially and do the things we had to do, it was very difficult for us - and other small businesses I'm sure - to get grants, to get loans, and just hopefully even find out information, or to find the appropriate path to even seeking information in regards to just staying alive and keeping our head above water.

Unfortunately for us, unlike other people who have jobs, there is no such thing as PTO (Paid Time Off). We can't just go work from home by the way, and we're not going to get paid just to sit at home, (it) doesn't work like that for us. We have to sit there and grind. The good thing is, in general as New Yorkers, I mean, I think the mantra behind us is that we’re built on grind, we’re built on hustle. So we were able to respond by you know pivoting, and our pivot was virtual classes. And also just, just finding other avenues that would get us some more growth. We were able to secure some things with the city, we were able to sit there and just promote ourselves in a different way. My business partner right now he's in the running to win a men's health competition, so that's just also great promotion. It’s a big, big hustle on his part. So we're able to just put ourselves out there, and again at the end of the day we realized that if you don't move, the money's not going to move. And that's honestly the cold reality of what's going on right now.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: That's an amazing response. And I think it also taps into the themes you talked about Thomas about resilience and teaching people to go further than they thought was possible. And so I think coming into the pandemic, when you're faced with this really harsh reality, you know, it really compelled you and your partner to think about look, we got to push ourselves to go to the next level; we got to push ourselves in directions that maybe we hadn’t anticipated, but we gotta believe that we're strong enough and that we're capable enough to get to that next level. It's very much a mirror of the message that you convey to your clients. About you can go - so weight, the weight of difficult circumstances, right, is how we develop the muscle of coping and being resilient.

So I think that’s such a great story. And I think, you know, when you said nobody cares, it very much underscores the metaphor of the theme of Maya Angelou’s poem - the beginning lines like “this small and lonely planet” like through “indifferent suns” through “aloof stars”. It's, it's such a perfect segue from the poem to real life. So thank you for that example, bravo. Anyone else?

(VIDEO OF ESTHER GRANT-WALKER ONSCREEN.)

Esther Grant-Walker: Yes, you know, I would like to add, you know... I work for the Department of Education, I'm a community coordinator at a performing arts high school, Talent Unlimited High School. And my role, as schools went one hundred percent remote, was really to keep an open line of communication between our families and the school administration and staff. And you know, you saw the great disparity between haves and have nots, right? You, you (saw) who has technology, who doesn't have technology - because technology was the way for us to connect with each other, it's a form of education, sharing news, being entertained as well. And so, you know, Thomas I really appreciate you pointing that out.

What I do want to add is that it also allows you to exercise your leadership skills because leaders create ways when there is no way, you know? Or you know (you see) that little opening in the door that will allow you to bring about more equity, right. We always talk about equality, but I think equity is what is important because if you're already starting from behind, if you have already lost so many times, you need that extra push, that extra start.

And so, you know, I believe that creatives are naturally intelligent, naturally innovative, and that you know we learn to exercise our creativity and implement it in order to make solutions. So, you know, thank you for that statement Thomas, because it was jarring when you said it, but there's so much truth to it.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate your offering that additional insight. And I think that one of the themes that's been very consistent here is how do you continue to craft this way forward against the context of a crisis. And we can see examples of Harlem, and people in Harlem, change agents in Harlem, artists, intellectuals, business owners, continuing to craft that way forward. And we're going to tap into the theme of equity and equality a little bit later too in one of the questions Esther (Grant-Walker), so thanks for setting that up.

Does anybody else have anything they want to add to the Maya Angelou poem and to the great contributions from Thomas (Boatswain) and Esther that we've heard so far? Going, going, going, is that it? Okay, those are great. These are - oh Gabriel, did you have anything you wanted to say or…?

Gabriel Garmon: Oh no, I was just agreeing - they made some really good points.

Valerie Kennedy: They did, they make great points. So I want to move on because there's been so much rich content in here.

I want to pivot to a theme that was evident in Stacy Lynch’s initial keynote address, it was raised by Esther, it was raised by Thomas, it was raised by Eric, it was raised by almost everybody about - and certainly very evident in the introductory video from Professor Alexis Clark - that is, this interior space, the mind. Almost everybody talked about the mind, Gabriel you talked about the mind. And it's really interesting because I think when you're talking about space, we are so

used to thinking about it in this brick and mortar way that we don't realize that everything we see is a product of an idea that someone had in their mind. And we typically don't think about that, and that all the things that have shaped history it's an idea first, (it) doesn't just pop out, it's an idea. Protest movements begin as an idea, like what Gabriel did is an idea. You know it's Esther’s and her parents thinking like, we need to create something, but it's first a thought. So I love what Stacy said about - and I think Professor Clark's comments too - about the safe space of the mind and the interior space.

And so my question for you all is: how has your interior space during this crisis period - and you can define that as your mind, or the interior space of your apartment, where you live - how has that informed the way you've entered external spaces? Not only in Harlem, but other spaces of work or hostile spaces - I mean, we can attenuate this on out however we want to, I really want to hear, I think everyone will have something to contribute to that. Gabriel, you're up so... Your image is the one I'm looking at, so I'm calling, I'm gonna call on you. I'm gonna start calling on people.

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON ONSCREEN.)

Gabriel Garmon: Okay, no, I totally agree, just the mind it's - that space is the most important because that's where it begins. As you mentioned, like, going into the world or when you’re going into the workplace, how sometimes we have to get that together first in order to enter into these spaces; not only for us to be comfortable, but also, you know, just us as Black people sometimes we have to, you know, we've been like trained or... when we enter into a space, in order for everyone to be comfortable, we may have to hold it back a little bit. Which I actually hate that idea, I... myself, I want to be one hundred percent me all the time. I'm not for everyone, so sometimes it could come off as a little bit much, but I don't want to have to enter - or change myself in order to entertain these spaces.

I know me and you spoke earlier this week, Valerie, about me in the fashion industry and how sometimes there's a mask that we do have to wear. And going into these showrooms of - these predominantly white showrooms - and we're there just to get wardrobe and pieces, like I can't go in wearing my sweatpants and my T-shirts. Honestly, that's what we wear in the office, we’re the most comfortable space, but we know like going into these white showrooms, they're gonna look, they're gonna judge, and it's disheartening and it's unfortunate.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Yeah, I think that - I'm sorry, go ahead.

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON ONSCREEN.)

Gabriel Garmon: No, no, no, go ahead.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: You’ve hit on something that I think is so important, and I want to get you to drill down a little bit more by asking you two follow-up questions:

A) Do you enter the external space of Harlem differently than you do other parts of New York? Are you a different person? Are you more authentic and more real in terms of who you are when you're in Harlem, as opposed to other places?

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON ONSCREEN.)

Gabriel Garmon: I feel like in Harlem you can one hundred percent be yourself. It's, it can be as comfortable - you can dress up or you can just down. You know, just the feel of Harlem is what makes it so much different than these other spaces; and just the culture of it, and being around people with this shared headspace as you, it just makes it so much easier and so much more comfortable.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: So you really have to do like a whole like mind-shift transition when you, when you get off at 42nd Street, or wherever it is that you're going outside of Harlem. You have to make this like real sort of cognitive, deliberate change in terms of your whole everything.

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON ONSCREEN.)

Gabriel Garmon: Just my whole, not only - and it's sad because, first thing’s first, like my safety is most important. I don't want to get into a situation where, like, I have no control of - with, you know, police and you know things like that. So it's sad that we actually have to do that.

But yeah, like in Harlem I'm not worried about that honestly. But if I go into a Soho I know like if I go into a store I may get followed, even though I'm literally there to do my job. But that's, that's just the unfortunate part about it.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: That's really profound. I also think you hit on something about casual dress. I mean, if you know, like the tech industry and Silicon Valley, those guys only dress casually. I mean, they are able, they are able to walk into a meeting and pitch for a $10 million ask and get it from a venture capitalist dressed in nothing but a hoodie and like wrinkled jeans, or a hoodie and sweats. I mean, that is the culture.

And it's like, you have to wonder, would we be able to do that? Even if we're in Silicon Valley where the culture is predominant around like casual fashion, but would we have to make an adjustment if we were coming in front of like, these venture capitalists and these hedge funds asking for that money? Even though the norm is like hoodies... you know what I mean? Like that

whole - it's always that question about who's norm matters, and whose norm do I need to follow, and maybe I can't follow this particular community's norm because I'm Black.

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON ONSCREEN.)

Gabriel Garmon: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I agree. And it happens. And it's sad because our culture, Black people, we're - it's our culture, like we set the trends, we do the fashion. It was taken from us and molded into what they wanted it to be, but it's ours. So it's so unfortunate. We’re the most versatile people and we have to (indecipherable) this false presentation of something that we created and something that we own.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Yeah. It's also kind of interesting that you hit on something about appropriation. When a white person wants to be trendy, they adapt sort of urban fashion accents, right?

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON ONSCREEN.)

Gabriel Garmon: Hip-hop, yes.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: It's like they walk into a space and they look, like, sophisticated and with it if they're wearing a certain thing. Whereas if you and I were to wear the same thing, it would not be interpreted that way. It would be interpreted as urban in a wholly negative light.

And I think it's, you know, it's that double bind that W.E.B. Dubois talked about in The Souls of Black Folk, that double - like you're always navigating sort of, this very weird “No Man's Land” of trying to figure out who you should be depending on the space that you're in, which is fascinating.

Does anyone else want to contribute to this particular question and thread of questioning?

(VIDEO OF THOMAS BOATSWAIN ONSCREEN.)

JTW FIT (Thomas Boatswain): I guess I would say that, just to, you know, to piggyback off of what Gabe said - do you mind if I call you Gabe?

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON ONSCREEN.)

Gabriel Garmon: Yeah, that’s fine. Yeah.

(VIDEO OF THOMAS BOATSWAIN ONSCREEN.)

JTW FIT (Thomas Boatswain): I also, by the way, sidebar - I think my business partner went to your march, I gotta double check that, but I think he did go to your march, so big shout out to you for setting that up.

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON AND THEN OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Way cool, that’s cool.

Gabriel Garmon: Thank you so much.

(VIDEO OF THOMAS BOATSWAIN ONSCREEN.)

JTW FIT (Thomas Boatswain): I think that just in general, like - we're built to play the game, right? So, like, that's really what the problem is. And Valerie talked about the mind and how we’re stuck in this small space, whatever. So if you're playing the game, your mind is set up to only be in certain compartments, only go a certain way, to figure out what ways is - what ways are simply navigated for you to win, right? Whereas I think the problem is that we actually need to create the game and that's why we're stuck in these avenues, right?

So let's think of someone like LeBron James, right? Let's take LeBron - LeBron has his own agent, his best friend, he set that up. LeBron does what he wants in the league (the National Basketball Association) and literally dictates how the league’s gonna flow because he's decided to set that up. The other day I brought up Floyd Mayweather, he’s able to fight whoever he wants to fight and promote himself however he wants to promote himself because he decided to step away and create his own lane to do what he wants to do. And I just think the problem is - not really a problem, I just think what we need to do is just sit here and create our own lane and play our - and make our own game instead of just trying to play the game. That's the problem. You're going to Silicon Valley, you're trying to play the game; (if) you're trying to play the game, you already lost.

When I go downtown and I'm trying to do something and I'm worried about what someone's going to think about me, or how I'm going to act, or how they're going to perceive me as maybe the angry Black man because maybe - look I'm 6’1”, 205 pounds, maybe I'm rowdy or something like that - I've already lost because I'm trying to play that game. I'm trying to play a game that I didn't build. And I think that if we turn around and switch up our mindset and how we move into just building the game and making our own game, like the other examples that were set before us, I think we’ll be fine. I just wanted to piggyback on what Gabe said.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: I think that's brilliant. I mean, I think that's really astute. And all this loops back to the history of Harlem, right? I mean Harlem is Harlem because Black people from the South were like we are tired of being constrained by this extreme segregation that relegates us

to only working as field labor or domestic help. We need to shift this paradigm for ourselves, and we - that's what fueled a million plus people coming up North; two hundred thousand of them ended up in Harlem in this effort to like shift the game for themselves.

And so I think it's, I think that's part of the appeal of Harlem is that it's still that mecca for people who are on this quest for self-determination and want to be in a neighborhood that affirms them based on who they are culturally; and where they don't have to like make these adjustments all the time that you make. If you are living in Soho, or if you're living in Staten Island, or if you live in - if you're living in communities that are not the city within the city that Harlem is, you're going to be making adjustments all the time, and I think that's why comfort is so important to people who live in Harlem. And we're going to tap into a little bit about the gentrification piece of that, but I appreciate your (Thomas Boatswain), you know, really tying the loop on this and Gabriel, I really appreciate your, you know, being so honest and delving into, you know, like I said, what W.E.B. Dubois talked about, this double bind that we’re always trying to navigate.

Let me go into, I think the next obvious - I'm going to switch the formation - visual language. So I want to talk about the visual language of protest; and this was referenced in different ways in talking about, you know, how people looked during the Civil Rights Movement, Black Panther Movement, Women's Movements. I think that was really great.

So the big visual language of protest this year has been the mask. And we have seen the mask really politicized and we've seen it lead to violent resistance. We've seen the “Reopen America Movement” take this theme of a mask and make it somehow like this sign of oppression and resistance, or suppression of individual freedom. As African Americans, we sort of look at that dialogue and we're kind of like, wow, this is really flipping the script. Because in our experience the mask has been used to intimidate and threaten us, right? The mask of supremacy in the, you know, the Ku Klux Klan hood or even the metaphorical hood that you don't see. In the South you say, oh, you know what, this person’s a certain way, their hood’s in the closet.

And so here we are with this physical mask to prevent against this virus, but also thinking about this mask that we have to wear when we're in certain places. So I want to talk about that mask a little bit. Where are you unmasked? Where are you unmasked, where are you not having to wear the mask?

(VIDEO OF ESTHER GRANT-WALKER ONSCREEN.)

Esther Grant-Walker: So I would say, you know, being in the African dance community, I don't ever have to code switch. I don't ever have to put on a voice, I don't ever have to suck in my stomach, or not be - or be ashamed of my physical shape. I think that, you know, the community represents every shade, every shape, every height, every level of intelligence; or, you know, whether you have money or you don't have money, the dance kind of erases that because it's based on values, you know. Values of community, awareness, support, honesty, respect for age - respect for elders, respect for children, respect period. So I never have to, I never feel like I have to code switch. You know, I never feel like I have to put on a $200 African outfit to take

African dance class. If I have on my sweats and a T-shirt and, you know, I have my Gele (1:43:42) on my head, I'm good because I'm comfortable. So I feel like our community of dancers understand that because all we want to be is comfortable to move.

And in Harlem, I think that because you could see yourself in all the different ways that you want to express yourself on any particular day... If I want to put on a suit, I can see myself; if I want to wear sweats, I can see myself; if I want to wear African garb, I could see myself. You know, and so I think, you know - because Harlem is so diverse and so comforting because we see ourselves, I think that that's like the perfect space. I feel like that in Brooklyn, on Flatbush, in Flatbush Avenue - I'm an immigrant, I'm from Central America, I’m Costa Rican - and so you know when I'm in Spanish Harlem, I feel comfortable. When I'm, you know, in all these different places.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: I love that. And I mean, and I love the fact that you talked about sort of getting the foundation for creating this kind of comfortable space from your parents. And how your apartment was like a place where people would come because they could be themselves. I think that's really powerful.

Is Eric Pryor still on, because I really want to talk about like how the Harlem School of the Arts provides that similar sort of place where students can be unmasked. Is Eric still on, or is he…?

(VIDEO OF ERIC PRYOR ONSCREEN.)

Eric Pryor: Yep, I’m here.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Yeah, can you comment on that, because I think that's very important.

Eric Pryor: Yeah, I think it's, you know, for us in our environment at HSA it’s definitely complex. And the reason I say that is just, you know, when I think of when you first asked the question, I thought about myself and recognized that probably the place that I'm unmasked is at home on some level. Because, and it’s only in the sense that, you know, we have anywhere from eight hundred or so kids and I'm recognized as a role model, you know, that (at) different points and times how I come across to them, how they see how I've moved through life also, or move through HSA... So there are times when I’ve come to HSA on a Saturday with some sweats and sneakers and they're like, people don't recognize me. And actually I kind of like that, you know, and that's when it's like the family. Because when we look at space, one of the things that at HSA that comes across from a lot of our students is that they feel like they're at home when they are at HSA. They feel like they're in a safe space.

And so, you know, for me there, there are times when I'm bringing in a potential donor who… and they have a particular way, and - you know, for example, in order for us to get that, the renovation to our building that was a nine hundred, excuse me, a nine and a half million dollar funding that we had to secure to get that. When you're asking people to invest large amounts of money sometimes I have to dress in a way that makes them comfortable. And I recognize that. Because at the end of the day, it's about me getting the resource that I'm able to allocate to serve our population.

So there are times - and so for me I think it's important that our young people recognize that. So you know, there are times when I have a donor there (and) I'm going, you know, I'm gonna be pulled; I might have on, I may not necessarily have on a tie, but I'm gonna have on a suit. I'm going to have on different dress. You know, they did a big article on us in the New York Times a couple weeks ago and our PR person said “Eric, I want you to look-” she said how she wanted me to look. I never wear a tie, but I had a tie on then in that period; you know, they wanted, she wanted me to look, you know, “I want you to look Wall Street”. I want you, I want you to look... maybe what's different than how one might expect an arts leader to look. I was comfortable in it. So I recognize that depending on the moment in time, I have to wear different or come in different garb or different masks, depending on who my audience is. And if it’s certain donors, I have to come a certain way.

When I come with - if I'm speaking to parents, you know, it's definitely, you want to be as authentic and be oneself and it's me coming as a parent, as a person who cares for and respects children. And so in, you know, so if it's instructors, it's, you know - so it, it has, it varies quite a bit is my point. And it's complex. But I embrace it as a leader.

But you know the place I'm able to be most comfortable is with my wife and daughters at home, and then I could just really, you know, let (indecipherable) down and just relax. But that would be my answer to the question.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: I think it's a great answer. And I think you hit on something that is really important, is that Black excellence can be represented in lots of different ways. And that part of the problem that we're seeing around systemic racism is that Black excellence is like limited to this like one sort of model. Or even if you're representing the way that you think you ought to, it's still not recognized as a level of excellent; you know, I mean, like, it's always - the goal post is always moving a little bit.

And I think you hit on something that I think we have to always think about, which is when there's a greater good we will do what we need to do individually, because there's a greater good that's guiding our sense of mission. And that that greater good sometimes makes us do what we need to do, to “wear the mask that grins and lies” (quote from Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask”) or to “tell the joke that ends in a punchline” to make everyone comfortable, which is what Dave Chappelle said the other night on Saturday Night Live.

So I love the fact that you tapped into something we haven't talked (about), which is like the complexity of Black excellence and how your - how sometimes you modulate the optics of Blackness in order to further a greater goal to support the larger communal interest around Black culture and Black excellence. So I love the way that you kind of, you know, wove that in, that was very profound. Thank you.

(VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Valerie -

Eric Pryor: Thank you.

Jennifer Mock: Sorry, I'm sorry - Eric, thank you for that.

Valerie, I just wanted to just quickly - I was actually watching the clock, (and) I can't believe it, we're five minutes away from twelve noon which is when the program is going to end. And so I just wanted to give you a five minute call because I know that some of our panelists have been so generous with their time already, and they aren't going to be able to stay beyond twelve noon.

So I just wanted to do that, and also we've got an intrepid, intrepid audience member who was having technical trouble getting, staying on the Zoom, but emailed the Wallach Gallery a question. So we do have a question from the floor, as well, so hold on to that. But I just want to give you a mark on that (time), and we do have that one question on the floor. So I just want to make sure that we get that into the queue.

Valerie Kennedy: So I'm just going to end with this question then. This has been great. I want to talk - I want to loop in art because I think it's important.

Okay, so when you're at a gallery, when you think about art, whiteness is less of actual color than it is kind of like a state, right? A canvas is blank and what gives it life and resonance is color - is, you know, the color, whatever it is. And it covers up that whiteness and brings the canvas to life.

But in the social reality of Harlem, there's a threat I think, and a concern around whether we're experiencing something that's the opposite. Where we're seeing, you know, the idea of whiteness - like the whole “SoHa” movement which you all may be familiar with like the south of Harlem - and whether that is going to cover or continue to cover the rich Black cultural legacy and the spaces in which that legacy, around business genius and culture, will be erased all together from the canvas of Harlem.

And I want everyone to kind of respond to that, because I think that's so... that's a great coda for ending this, and talking about the canvas of Harlem and gentrification erasing the Renaissance.

What will we be talking about in a hundred years? That's the future I think we need to be thinking about. I’d love to have everyone's, you know, thirty second or a minute response to that.

(VIDEO OF ERIC PRYOR ONSCREEN.)

Eric Pryor: I would just say, I think one of the things that’s critical when we look at what you just pointed out is, I think, the importance of, or certain point of, investing in our community; in other words, being owners in our community. I mean, you know, the majority of the time before neighborhoods gentrify there are moments where you could probably give things away.

So when I look at Harlem School of the Arts and when Dorothy Maynor went to buy property in Harlem to buy the space that we reside in, in 1975 - at a point where people were giving away brownstones at that point in our history - she was investing. Or when I look at (Dr.) Barbara Ann Teer who started National Black Theatre investing, and they saw - or Betty Blayton-Taylor, who bought the children, the building that the Children's Art Carnival is in. And I say that because I think what's unique about that - you don't always hear about the “sheros” of Harlem, but (the) three that I just named all understood and invested in buying property in Harlem in the 1970s.

And I think that, you know, ownership is critical and I think it’s important within our community to recognize that ownership for us has to happen before others come in and show value. That we have to value our own community up front.

Valerie Kennedy: Yeah, yeah.

(VIDEO OF ERIC K. WASHINGTON ONSCREEN.)

Eric K. Washington: I think -

Valerie Kennedy: Eric Washington, go ahead.

Eric K. Washington: I think also, piggybacking on that theme of ownership, that ownership also comes in knowing, you know, who was there. I think we often tend, particularly when we talk about the Harlem Renaissance, there are sort of the usual suspects who always get mentioned (like) Langston Hughes, who are important figures, but there are all these other players who were sort of the unobtrusive gatekeepers that made, that were very much a part of the Harlem Renaissance, who just naturally get lost by attrition. And I think rediscovering them through writing, through research, and bringing them back to life - and like “how did you get forgotten?”, that kind of thing - that’s part of the ownership issue. It's sort of repopulating in many ways, who the players were; to give them... to sort of heighten the sense of the real depth of richness that is in Harlem’s history.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: I love that, that's a brilliant answer. And by the way, congratulations on your latest big triumph. I think that's so important, it's very relevant.

(VIDEO OF ERIC K. WASHINGTON ONSCREEN.)

Eric K. Washington: maybe we’ll find out in a few months. Thanks.

Valerie Kennedy: Oh that's so funny, that's great.

Esther, do you want to chime in on this?

(VIDEO OF ESTHER GRANT-WALKER ONSCREEN.)

Esther Grant-Walker: Yeah. I think that understanding and always communicating historical relevance is important. People that search for (it) would never forget where they came from. They have an understanding of their history. So, you know, in dealing with the community that I teach and in front of young people, I tell them about the bathhouse (Mt. Morris Baths or Mount Morris Turkish Baths). Dancing at the bathhouse, dancing at Grant's Tomb, the Robert Firman theater, Sounds in Motion, all of those spaces that were available to us to dance, so that we know that we need to reclaim those spaces. Sometimes you just have to plant your feet and not be moved, and have people understand why. Because when people understand your “why”, then they can connect better to what you're striving for. So I think that if we don't erase the slate and make it blank as if nothing existed before this moment, that we have a better chance of growing - holding on to that - and then growing.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Beautiful. Gabriel?

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON ONSCREEN.)

Gabriel Garmon: Yes, I just want to piggyback off of what Esther and what Eric spoke on. Just the continuing education of the history, of the community, and ownership is so important. Like you said, we should own it before they move in and take any more of our history with them, and turn it into whatever, and misconstruing it. So just the ownership is very important.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Yeah, absolutely.

(VIDEO OF THOMAS BOATSWAIN ONSCREEN.)

JTW FIT (Thomas Boatswain): I guess to piggyback quickly - unfortunately I have to take care of some important business matters - but just to piggyback on what everybody's saying,

especially what Gabriel was saying, I would just say it's up to our age range. I think Gabe, I think you might be in the same age range as myself, mid-30s. So I just think that - I'm not, I'm not trying to age or date myself - but I’m saying that in general that the problem is that the generation before us, they weren't educated enough by the previous generation to know, hey, let's go buy this, or let's go secure that, so on and so forth.

So I think that now that we know and, you know, the generation before us couldn't do that, it's up to us. Even though it's going to cost a hefty penny, I think it's just a sacrifice we need, we need to just make in order to secure the generations that are coming after us, and make sure we can keep communities of color the way they are. Not because we're trying to sit there and just segregate ourselves from anywhere else, but more so because we just want to build and maximize our potential abilities. And I think that all across the country, all across the world, in general, communities like that, they excel and they exceed.

So I think that if we take that up, take on that task you know for the children of our future and everybody else, I think we’ll be able to do that. I mean, I'm trying to do that; Gabe I’m sure you're trying to do that. Again, I'm sure everybody else here, if you had - at this point, if you could do it, you could definitely do it too. But it's definitely on us, especially at this age range, to lock that down and do that to make sure we can excel and, you know, set the blueprint up. I mean, it’s our job to set the blueprint up.

(VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Brilliant. Oh, these are so great. Okay, Jennifer, we have a question (from the audience)?

(VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Well, actually, Thomas (Boatswain) kind of hit it on the head. The questions lined up because the question that we had from the audience member was: “How do we empower the next generation to navigate and own space more in their (indecipherable). And we actually have heard it right there. And Thomas, you hit the nail, you hit it on the head with a hammer over there but... thank you. Thank you to all - Valerie would you like to just kind of tie it up and we'll tie it up together?

(VIDEO OF GABRIEL GARMON THEN VIDEO OF VALERIE KENNEDY ONSCREEN.)

Valerie Kennedy: Yeah, I mean I think we've done it. Um, thank you all. This was awesome and amazing - we easily could have gone on for another hour. We really started to hit our stride and all of y’all gave such thoughtful responses, and I appreciate the energy and the love, and just the commitment to having this dialogue, and sharing some great wisdom. So thank you all so much.

(VIDEO OF ERIC PRYOR ONSCREEN.)

Eric Pryor: Thank you.

(VIDEO OF JENNIFER MOCK ONSCREEN.)

Jennifer Mock: Thank you to all of our participants. Thank you to Valerie Kennedy, to Stacy Lynch for getting us off to start this morning. To our panelists: to Eric Pryor, to Gabriel Garmon, to Esther Grant-Walker, to Thomas Boatswain, and Eric K. Washington, we want to thank you so much for joining us today. And (thank you) to all of you who are in the audience for being part of this event and being part of this Town Hall, and finding ways to look to the future - it is part of the title for today's Town Hall as well. 2021, can you believe it, is going to start in twenty eight days; we are twenty eight days away from the year 2021. Let's come together everyone, let's look on to that future.

And I know Valerie, you and I talked about this, we wanted to take it out on a song. So what we're going to do now is we're going to queue up that music, (IMAGE OF TOWN HALL TITLE CARD ONSCREEN) we're going to bring ourselves out with a song. And here we go.

But thank you everyone for coming. Stay in touch with us and thank you for attending today's Uptown Triennial 2020 TOWN HALL: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE. Have a good afternoon. (MUSIC PLAYS)

TOWN HALL: BUILDING for the FUTURE Presented in Conjunction with the Exhibition Uptown Triennial 2020, in Support of Harlem ​ ​ ​ Renaissance 100

TOWN HALL: BUILDING for the FUTURE Presented in Conjunction with the Exhibition Uptown Triennial 2020, in Support of Harlem Renaissance 100