Easter In Harlem, New York 2006
So I see this lovely couple walking home from church on 128th St. and Fifth Ave. in Harlem. Mr. Gant is the Deacon Emeritus of his church, a title he proudly displays on his jacket.
I asked how long they lived in the neighborhood - like any long married couple they answered simultaneously - him "52 years!", her "51 years!". They spent the next few moments arguing the dates. He then turned to me and said that the neighborhood had always been nice, "People watch out for each other in our building-it's a family building. When one of us gets sick, we do the best we can to care for that person." Of everything he could have told me about living in Harlem for over fifty years, the first thing he mentioned was taking care of others.
Friends and family back in Indiana sometimes ask me how I can live in New York with so many people piled on top of each other. My answer? Neighbors like Mr. Gant.
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Anonymous said ... (3:34 PM) :
post a commentso sweet!
It's nice to see pride and diversity so beautifully displayed on your blog!
They look cool together. If only all people were as nice as they apparently are.
An exceptionally hansome couple! That's not just a hat -- that's a statement!
As an indiana resident, I understand your relatives' sentiment but you must counter, "how can you live in a state that runs five+ years behind on fashion trends?!"
sweet couple, nice commentary
One of the things I appreciate about your site is how your genuine love for the city and its inhabitants comes through in your images. I look forward to seeing the city daily through your lens. This piece is a prime example. Many people would have walked right by this couple, certainly if they were interested only in the most current designs. What is appealing and lasting about your site is the appreciation of the individual. A blog strictly about fashion would not be nearly as compelling.
Oh wow...they remind me of some of my older relatives! Such a sweet picture.
I visited these photos again today and was reminded of this poem:
"The Chinese Checker Players"
When I was six years old
I played Chinese checkers
with a woman
who was ninety-three years old.
She lived by herself
in an apartment down the hall
from ours.
We played Chinese checkers
every Monday and Thursday nights.
While we played she usually talked
about her husband
who had been dead for seventy years
and we drank tea and ate cookies
and cheated.
i love your blog. it's such a breath of fresh air.
Schu,
I enjoy your pictures and stories of NYC. They always make me long to be there. Hopefully when I retire, I'll be able to spend several months of the year in NYC.
Your site is beautiful.
Thanks for the stories and the styles.
Lovely blog, great photos and even nicer comments. It's heartening to see Harlem depicted as having a soul. That is not the image we get from American movies that reach the Europena circuit. Well done.Cheers from Portugal
So sweet...stories/pictures like these are why I love your blog so much...
YOU DA' MAN! Just happened upon your site(yes I live under a rock)Love it but I purposefully went to your archives to see the fashions you'd post around Easter-wondered if you'd have the sense to hang around the AMEs & other churches in Harlem on this highest of fashion holy days in the black community. I should have known you'd pick up all fashion not just some but you're so with it that you didn't turn it into some overwrought gimmick. Simple nod and then you moved on-- Cool, very cool.