Harlem Street Scenes and Queensbridge Projects Construction 1939

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
  • From National Archives TH-cam Channel. Restored outtakes from METROPOLIS 1939. This rare footage shows Harlem street scenes, residents of the Harlem River Houses, and construction of the Queensbridge Houses, circa 1939. Assumed to be in the public domain. Original post can be found here • Outtakes from "Metropo...
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  • @EricaYE6
    @EricaYE6 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1077

    Wow. Everyone dressed so nice when leaving the house. No butt cheeks hanging out, sagging pants or raggedy clothes.

    • @billshea6657
      @billshea6657 7 ปีที่แล้ว +64

      EricaYE6................... Yea, and black music was cool and nice , today they sing about hate, put it this way it sucks.......

    • @alidi13
      @alidi13 5 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      I know right! Dude, the other day, I saw a man sagging (there were stains on his underwear...).

    • @sandybeaches3950
      @sandybeaches3950 5 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@alidi13 Ohhhh Nooooooo😂😂😂

    • @buckeyewill2166
      @buckeyewill2166 5 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      ​@@alidi13….Ugh

    • @mellajoe
      @mellajoe 5 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      EricaYE6 and no dudes rubber knocking drooling talking about how phat a woman’s but was

  • @TonyPanama
    @TonyPanama 7 ปีที่แล้ว +932

    I get the sense that we had more dignity back then.

    • @loverainthunder
      @loverainthunder 7 ปีที่แล้ว +57

      It isn't the freedom - its the trick of wanting to be someone else, and having the option to pretend. Fantasy destroys cooperation. Easier to overlook whats important and seek validation from opinions of outsiders. Running from and slandering self.

    • @sevenwinters8420
      @sevenwinters8420 7 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      #I Am Israel. I am glad someone else sees it, the civil rights movement was an invention of the whites and they sent the Trojan hoarse aka black man to deliver the booby prize.

    • @VJBlues
      @VJBlues 7 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Because is part of the master plan to keep hate alive and the people hating each other regardless of ethnicity. I am not Black but I am very aware of the truth.

    • @thecraplordsell4575
      @thecraplordsell4575 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      blackplaque617 You people are a joke, blacks do have freedom today. They just mess it up just too get back at whites and started believing lies of the media about whites. You blacks are only oppressing y’all self with that mindset. If y’all want to succeed than y’all must stop blaming whites and stop viewing them as your oppressor and come together and move on and rebuild just like all these other races in this country are doing. The only enemy here to blacks are people like you with that hateful mindset that would lead to nothing but chaos.

    • @democripsrebloodlicans1459
      @democripsrebloodlicans1459 6 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      Because we did. We were more self sufficient. We relied on each other more and therefore were more proud. We were also better educated and our culture hadn't degraded to the point where it is now.

  • @REGALITY4LIFE
    @REGALITY4LIFE 5 ปีที่แล้ว +164

    As a black man looking at this video it truly is bittersweet. I often rolled my eyes when my Grandma and even Mother would tell me how it was when they were younger and what the community “used” to look like. This is what the black community was before it was destroyed by drugs, and ultimately gentrification. I long for these days just to experience what it may have been like to live during that time.

    • @ericgardnerii8658
      @ericgardnerii8658 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      As well ✍🏿💯💯

    • @skybarwisdom
      @skybarwisdom 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Destroyed by Democrat policies to incentivize fatherless households and single mothers raising their kids alone plus schools that push illiterate uneducated students along through graduation with no hope for a middle class wage. You're Welcome.

    • @phantompixie7164
      @phantompixie7164 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      You can't force drugs on ppl. It was destroyed by drugs bc ppl CHOSE to do them

    • @lavendermilk3010
      @lavendermilk3010 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@phantompixie7164 no not necessarily

    • @thequietrevolution3404
      @thequietrevolution3404 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      @@phantompixie7164 Actually, you can. (1) Eliminate quality water (as was done to Detroit). (2) Eliminate decent paying jobs and promote only low wage paying jobs with no opportunity for advancement. (3) Introduce drugs into the neighborhood. People feeling they're in a hopeless situation will eventually use drugs to numb themselves. (4) Increase the price of drugs knowing addicts will steal and even kill to meet the dealer's price. (5) Displace residents via gentrification and increased prices. Those who are unable to meet new prices will eventually become homeless. This was Richard Nixon's actual playbook used for destroying Black neighborhoods.

  • @clivemoses2467
    @clivemoses2467 7 ปีที่แล้ว +320

    From miami but love this footage of NY Harlem. BLACK PEOPLE ALWAYS WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE BEAUTIFUL

    • @kaylao.3326
      @kaylao.3326 5 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Clive Moses
      I’m from Miami too 🤗 and I agree. Harlem has so much history, I would love to go and visit there one day

    • @moretrap3631
      @moretrap3631 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cap

    • @uknw1952
      @uknw1952 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      💯

    • @diandremosley
      @diandremosley 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      We will will recreate this by practicing group economics. - Dr Claud Anderson -

  • @Michelle-jz8vl
    @Michelle-jz8vl 6 ปีที่แล้ว +614

    When women dressed respectable.
    Men dressed presentable and children were children.
    Those days long long gone.

    • @sopaman1234
      @sopaman1234 5 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Exactly because back then your parents or grandparents would wipp you behind if you misbehaved..Jewamerica destroid all that with thier liberal views.And we have been paying for it ever since...

    • @drwlpwasright5132
      @drwlpwasright5132 5 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      And back then they didn't look like fat disgusting slobs either.

    • @PonderthePath100
      @PonderthePath100 5 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      America destroyed us

    • @leshagayle5991
      @leshagayle5991 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Real Talk

    • @turtleblazer3310
      @turtleblazer3310 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      So true.

  • @denisemitchell8477
    @denisemitchell8477 5 ปีที่แล้ว +235

    As a Elder born in Harlem Hospital
    It was magical
    Full of Pride unity harmony
    Dad had a small eatery on 136 and Lenox
    Gone are those days big businesses destroyed Harlem along with the Clintons

    • @bernadettescott7578
      @bernadettescott7578 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Denise Mitchell Hey Denise as an young elder, I am born at Harlem Hospital too and a sister of mine in Yonkers. 8/7/19. (Wed.) 2:09 a.m. 🌟

    • @bigbyn8032
      @bigbyn8032 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      What black person in their right mind gives a flying fuck about the Clintons?

    • @denisemitchell8477
      @denisemitchell8477 5 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      First of all I am not a Bitch
      Your family members may be
      But then I realize I am dealing with folks would ..who don't have the knowledge keyboard warriors
      Let me educate you the Clintons plan open a office in Harlem gain the black vote across the country for Killary
      With the support of Al and Charlie the political powerhouses who both supported Clinton
      BIG businesses WERE RECRUITED rents went sky high.Harlem was SOLD ..but Obama popped up and destroyed Killarys dream
      Thank you Obama
      she passed the stop and search law here in NYC
      all the small mom and pop stores and the village of Harlem no longer compete with the big retail stores
      Harlem is white..that was the plan
      Walk in the African American parade every year ..Killary wanted our votes but did not even walk in the parade her office was in Harlem.
      Clinton's destroyed Harlem it's called gentrification.
      Clinton was a regular visitor to Epsteins palace ..UHMMMMMMMMM
      Next..

    • @denisemitchell8477
      @denisemitchell8477 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@bigbyn8032 agree totally ..
      Killary..

    • @meemee5660
      @meemee5660 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@denisemitchell8477 - Thanks for educating those (hopefully)young, disrespectful, and unknowledgable individuals...."My people perish for lack of knowledge.

  • @greenbyrd3665
    @greenbyrd3665 6 ปีที่แล้ว +304

    Everything looks so peaceful! A real community. How do we get this back?

    • @Goat1481
      @Goat1481 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      green byrd this is a perfect question, I work at it everyday.

    • @thecraplordsell4575
      @thecraplordsell4575 6 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      By coming together and rebuilding

    • @tavettewinter3404
      @tavettewinter3404 6 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Take TVs always cell phones with sounds

    • @summerdays3919
      @summerdays3919 6 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      Respecting eachother

    • @thephoenix2176
      @thephoenix2176 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Speaking of my own suggestion - Connect with those you can trust. . .and keep it moving. . .most of us are too far gone. . .and I am ok with that. . .

  • @40amule16
    @40amule16 7 ปีที่แล้ว +422

    Back when men walked with THEIR PANTS UP! BEAUTIFUL 😊👍

    • @brianswartz5674
      @brianswartz5674 7 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      40 & a mule yes & females had clothes on too

    • @sumarcumar8772
      @sumarcumar8772 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      40 & a mule she said nothing about race or put anybody down american men are very very very sensitive

    • @larryblack2981
      @larryblack2981 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I still do. Always have.

    • @oscarmorada2659
      @oscarmorada2659 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      40 & a mule 24 or as news

    • @oscarmorada2659
      @oscarmorada2659 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      24 or as news

  • @matrox
    @matrox 6 ปีที่แล้ว +250

    Very little equality but so much more respect back then for each other.

    • @c.calliecoleman1531
      @c.calliecoleman1531 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Our parents were perfect role models. I guess some of us starting picking the wrong role models. Get back to basics.

    • @locks4
      @locks4 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @Anahata Healing yes, but at least the dollar circulated alot within the community

    • @kirkyoung6962
      @kirkyoung6962 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      That’s an oxymoron

    • @aldofhister6859
      @aldofhister6859 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@c.calliecoleman1531 do you mean your personal parents or parents in general ?

    • @c.calliecoleman1531
      @c.calliecoleman1531 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@aldofhister6859 Mine and most of the grownups I was raised around.

  • @monkayjunkay
    @monkayjunkay 6 ปีที่แล้ว +168

    Wow that sign says "THE LAW- keep your sidewalk clean, never sweep ,refuse, into street." Just look at how our people carried themselves, with pride and dignity. Not a single person sloppily dressed. And wow there's black people actually working the carts and booths outside and not another race. Dang what happened to us?! Gosh those projects are ginormous! What a great vid!

    • @bigvalley4987
      @bigvalley4987 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Ms Kitty Kitty
      We Americans ADOS paved the way for other ethnicities and groups to become vendors and the like. Never forget this. ADOS have always been used as a template for the LBQT communities as well. And I still can not equate why. When Black Folk passage did not originate like their plight. Similarities for what they were striving to overcome, but an entirely different passage.🤔

    • @bitchilookgood5911
      @bitchilookgood5911 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@bigvalley4987 that's why it's up to us to fix it. The older generation dropped the ball, but the younger generation can fix it.

    • @unfreeze18
      @unfreeze18 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Drugs changed everything,

    • @unfreeze18
      @unfreeze18 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Drugs changed everything,

    • @ronn3988
      @ronn3988 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Politics and drugs the greatest menace to black people everywhere.

  • @Love4me34
    @Love4me34 7 ปีที่แล้ว +257

    WOW! This is AMAZING to see rare footage of life in historic Harlem African American community!

    • @briannapiersr.3026
      @briannapiersr.3026 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Derrick Phelps We’re not Africans

    • @Beetwate305
      @Beetwate305 5 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Brian Napier Sr. I never hear Latin Americans say “we’re not Latin” only black folks like you try to erase the African ancestors that runs through your blood

    • @enigma7276
      @enigma7276 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Many of them were West Indians and Black Africans, not all Black Americans.

    • @Kalik8000
      @Kalik8000 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@briannapiersr.3026 woww

    • @Kalik8000
      @Kalik8000 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@briannapiersr.3026 not all of us are indigenous to the land that is now called North and South America

  • @mariekatherine5238
    @mariekatherine5238 6 ปีที่แล้ว +132

    I notice everyone is well-dressed and has a certain dignity about them. The streets are clean. Not for a long time now has Harlem been like this.

    • @jeffaholics2289
      @jeffaholics2289 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Harlem has been gentrified for years, with expensive boutiques and high end corporate retail stores. You’re holding on to some image from 1986.

    • @mariekatherine5238
      @mariekatherine5238 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@jeffaholics2289 😅 The image in my mind is of the late forties through the early sixties, long before it became gentrified.

    • @jeffaholics2289
      @jeffaholics2289 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mariekatherine5238 Well if you go back now you might like it. It’s expensive and trendy.

    • @mariekatherine5238
      @mariekatherine5238 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@jeffaholics2289 😂🤣😂 No thanks! If I want chain stores and chain restaurants, I can go to any mall or shopping center in the rest of USA.

    • @jeffaholics2289
      @jeffaholics2289 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mariekatherine5238
      Yeah, Harlem has really changed.

  • @40teeve
    @40teeve 5 ปีที่แล้ว +92

    Thank you for keeping the history alive.❤️❤️

  • @hazeleneyoung9183
    @hazeleneyoung9183 5 ปีที่แล้ว +94

    I'm nearly 70 years old and the previous. Comment hit the nail on the head. We did have more self respect and dignity back then women always carried them selves like ladies at all times and the men were proud hardworking gentelmen.

    • @YSLRD
      @YSLRD 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I'm( mostly) white. Our people have gone downhill, too. It's partly the drugs, but I think more an overall lack of respect.

    • @bdadolph
      @bdadolph 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      There was extreme poverty back then, it was the depression. This was before race riot of 1943 in HArlem and Detroit where there was overcrowding and job discrimination inhousing, wartime jobs and unionization. A great description of the era was in the Autobio of Malcolm X.

    • @ruthsherman2507
      @ruthsherman2507 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I remember those people in my East Texas neighborhood as well...they presented themselves w/ dignity and always spoke carefully around children.

    • @michie1luv
      @michie1luv 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ruthsherman2507 "Those people?" IDIOT.

    • @peekaboo3968
      @peekaboo3968 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Not true

  • @nahseemx7527
    @nahseemx7527 5 ปีที่แล้ว +352

    B4 drugs ravaged our communities

    • @jlg5798
      @jlg5798 5 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      That’s a cop out ! People on drugs ravaged our communities

    • @OrbitFighter
      @OrbitFighter 5 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      those drugs were not even native to this continent. i wonder how they got here....
      the sabotage of our people is real and needs to be disussed heavily.

    • @jenuwinmoore9258
      @jenuwinmoore9258 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      JL G
      Nd you're deluded. Where do you think the drugs came from? Can't wait to see you expose more of your ignorance...

    • @ree6553
      @ree6553 5 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@jlg5798 Drugs were set but no one had to fall for the bait.

    • @eprahs1
      @eprahs1 5 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Before integration

  • @RETROGEMS
    @RETROGEMS 7 ปีที่แล้ว +79

    My grandpa and grandma lived in Harlem during the war years...always was curious about what it was like back then. Thank you for sharing this priceless video.

    • @janjISMYname
      @janjISMYname 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      dwone jones - I think she knows that. 🤣

    • @mikeorclem
      @mikeorclem หลายเดือนก่อน

      thomas sowell (soul) moved to harlem around this time as a 9 year old.

  • @nicolewatson2032
    @nicolewatson2032 7 ปีที่แล้ว +254

    Beautiful Black people.

    • @carstellamoore8863
      @carstellamoore8863 5 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@billshea6657 and what are you?

    • @PaulGreen11
      @PaulGreen11 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Beautiful, indeed.

    • @SoSoPrettyMS21
      @SoSoPrettyMS21 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      bill shea what do you look like?

    • @theinfinitytruth7387
      @theinfinitytruth7387 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@billshea6657 You were describe your mother again shame on you she's ugly and fat true enough but do you have to tell the whole world such a bastard

    • @thecraplordsell4575
      @thecraplordsell4575 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      William Kirksey is he wrong though

  • @ShawnC.T.
    @ShawnC.T. 5 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    I enjoy seeing archival videos such as this of our people, it's like you're being placed in a "time machine", and getting to see how it was before you were even thought about, wonderful footage, R.I.P. to all of the souls from this...

  • @lovingmyself1008
    @lovingmyself1008 5 ปีที่แล้ว +147

    I’m loving all the beautiful black people that I see here 💕💕💕

  • @andrewmacdaniels212
    @andrewmacdaniels212 7 ปีที่แล้ว +156

    Everyone in suits and dresses.

    • @EricaYE6
      @EricaYE6 7 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Dignity and decency.

    • @Natalia-hf3et
      @Natalia-hf3et 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Yes

    • @Natalia-hf3et
      @Natalia-hf3et 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@EricaYE6 I agree.

    • @buffcosby1038
      @buffcosby1038 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Everyone during that time was dressed in suits and dresses. Black white brown yellow

    • @jacquelinerussell8530
      @jacquelinerussell8530 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Aka Sundays Best

  • @decendantfromaslave342
    @decendantfromaslave342 7 ปีที่แล้ว +49

    Born and raised on 125th. street in Harlem the best cultural experience ever. Inspite of the hidden oppresion

    • @emmmills5984
      @emmmills5984 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Just cross 110th street

  • @original1stmother
    @original1stmother 5 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    That housing project looks like a prison I hate it.....We are such strong beautiful graceful people♥️

    • @sydneywebbe7737
      @sydneywebbe7737 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Looks like they wanted all Black people to live in one area.

  • @michellesingleton8344
    @michellesingleton8344 5 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    I miss harlem i was born in raised there from the late 60s.We didnt have much but we were proud in happy.

    • @kcorn12kc
      @kcorn12kc 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You're so right about the being happy part...you ever noticed that the haves seems to be more angrier than the have nots.I used to hear my older relatives say that they made things happen with very little...and didn't really complain about what they didn't have.

  • @5518sw
    @5518sw 5 ปีที่แล้ว +734

    We should’ve stayed segregated look at all those black business

    • @jkdortch2308
      @jkdortch2308 5 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      RIGHT IT WAS ABOUT THE DOLLAR
      THE EQUALITY

    • @3alarm247
      @3alarm247 5 ปีที่แล้ว +171

      It’s hard to stay segregated and prosper when the clan and others kept destroying towns that were thriving like Black Wall Street.

    • @H4wgBEright
      @H4wgBEright 5 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      @@3alarm247 after enough bullshit we would of came with our own similar mobs that would have crashed the klan,but we definitely would be better off if we didn't segregate with the land 😈

    • @aprillhall5760
      @aprillhall5760 5 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      I totally agree

    • @africaisrising1535
      @africaisrising1535 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@3alarm247 at least the black wall street rebuilt after the destruction caused by clans.

  • @thedubbman4453
    @thedubbman4453 5 ปีที่แล้ว +39

    WAIT, 1:31 first brutha to hitch a free ride off the back bumper of the bus... love my history baby😂😂😂

    • @locks4
      @locks4 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      It was called bus " surfing"

    • @mikeorclem
      @mikeorclem หลายเดือนก่อน

      thomas sowell (soul) moved to harlem around this time as a 9 year old.

  • @BruceBigDaddyWayne1
    @BruceBigDaddyWayne1 7 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    This footage is amazing! I was raised in Harlem!

    • @denisemitchell8477
      @denisemitchell8477 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Born Harlem Hospita
      Lived 136 and Lenox
      The good old days when Harlem was the mecca..
      Lenox Lounge!

    • @smokescreenFromThe6ix
      @smokescreenFromThe6ix 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @brice landy I was thinking the same thing. This footage is very clear for being from the 1930''s!

    • @mikeorclem
      @mikeorclem หลายเดือนก่อน

      thomas sowell (soul) moved to harlem around this time as a 9 year old.

  • @jessicarichards9540
    @jessicarichards9540 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Wow what a safe time, that little girl was walking alone. Truly care free

  • @moerich6254
    @moerich6254 5 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    This was everything to see our people back then.... and conducting themselves so dignified

  • @janjISMYname
    @janjISMYname 5 ปีที่แล้ว +326

    "Projects construction" = The beginning of the end.

    • @ertfgghhhh
      @ertfgghhhh 5 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      I agree

    • @GiddySage
      @GiddySage 5 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Exactly....smh🤦🏾‍♂️ Wow, interesting how that beautiful walk down memory lane ended with what you said, “the beginning of the end”. Did the person filming 80 yrs ago have any idea of that???😳🤔

    • @weotalks2810
      @weotalks2810 5 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      Projects Weren't Bad 50,40 years ago, PROJECTS BECAME HAVEN FOR CRIME WHEN CRACK was PUSHED BY THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION ,CIA TEST.. GOOGLE... MAJORITY OF FOLKS IN PROJECTS WORKED HARD, 2 JOBS TO PROVIDE,YR COMMENT is CONDESCENDING, GOOGLE THE HISTORY OF AMERICA PROJECTS.

    • @jmac1698
      @jmac1698 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      The scene wen the kids was running around gave me a glimpse of a African village 😔

    • @leshagayle5991
      @leshagayle5991 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Your right about that

  • @terrigurganus3720
    @terrigurganus3720 5 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    1920s and 30s beautiful Harlem films I wish I had a time machine!

  • @c.t.2252
    @c.t.2252 7 ปีที่แล้ว +68

    Styles were nice. Men looked good in suits and fedora hats. Women wore stylish, feminine clothing. There seemed to be a relaxed enjoyment on the part of the people. By 1939 the country was coming out of the depression years. Maybe they were feeling a sense of relief, as if the worst was over and there were better days ahead.

    • @bigvalley4987
      @bigvalley4987 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      C. T.
      I ask my Mother (RIP) y did she not share the experiences of the depression. She stated, that they were so poor that they did not know that it was a depression. I gathered that it was just a part of life for them. However, they share their food. Someone had the meal. The other person raised and slaughtered hogs. Others raised chickens. It was a Co-op before it became trending.

    • @roderickstockdale1678
      @roderickstockdale1678 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      VALERIE BLOUNT she must’ve been raised in the country.

  • @weotalks2810
    @weotalks2810 5 ปีที่แล้ว +102

    INTEGRATION killed HARLEM, YOU BE HARD PRESSED TO FIND 20 BLACK BUSINESSES, that are NOT a Barbershop & a RESTURANT in HARLEM.BLACK POWER RIP!

    • @jkdortch2308
      @jkdortch2308 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      START A BUSINESS

    • @charissew4798
      @charissew4798 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I agree

    • @roderickstockdale1678
      @roderickstockdale1678 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Tyrone norfleet Norfleet no, GENTRIFICATION killed Harlem! There was no welcome we let nobody in. It was when those greedy land developers and realtors started burning and buying our buildings and raising the rates so high we had to move out that white people started moving in! Before Harlem was indeed black, my brother.

    • @lscarver5
      @lscarver5 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Harlem started to deteriorate when law enforcement, and the politicians looked the other way when the Mafia crime families flooded the community with heroin. This happened after WW2. The second wave of destruction came in the 60's with more heroin. And then came the crack epidemic in the mid 80's. The final nail in the coffin was when the " Empowerment Zone" was created, to start up new businesses and housing. That's when Harlem became gentrified and super expensive so the long time residents couldn't afford it. A damn shame.

    • @roderickstockdale1678
      @roderickstockdale1678 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Leslie Scarver yeah, heroin did play a huge part in it but the real destruction came from those greedy landlords who burned down their buildings to gain profit from their policies and didn't care how many people they killed or put on the street. The more of the buildings they burned, the more people they put on the street to be driven into heroin and to crime!

  • @memikchik3820
    @memikchik3820 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Back in the day when kids could safely play in the streets. Thank you for sharing this piece of history.

  • @NiiRose
    @NiiRose 7 ปีที่แล้ว +115

    this is so freaking cool!

    • @heatherhodge8396
      @heatherhodge8396 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nia Rose WHATS So FUCKING Coooool oh I know your a asson LOL 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😊😊😊😊😊😊😂😂😂😂😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😊😊😊😊😊😊😂😂😊😊😊

    • @Ken-iu2zp
      @Ken-iu2zp 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nia Rose You from NYC?

    • @theinfinitytruth7387
      @theinfinitytruth7387 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@heatherhodge8396 Russia bot go back to Russia slimy bastard

  • @nightcoder2633
    @nightcoder2633 5 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    This is beautiful, like I aways say “they did a number on us”

    • @couldyoupassthesaltplease.2006
      @couldyoupassthesaltplease.2006 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      They really did. It's all a social experiment that certain other Countries have taken noticed on, believe that.

  • @robinafrica3456
    @robinafrica3456 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    My Mother was born in Harlem in 1931, I like these videos because I always hope to get a glimpse of her as a young girl.... She’ll be 89 this year and she still roller skates!!❤️😁

    • @mikeorclem
      @mikeorclem หลายเดือนก่อน

      thomas sowell (soul) moved to harlem around this time as a 9 year old.

  • @gluehigh416
    @gluehigh416 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    The way it should be! The people looked sharp. The streets were clean. Everybody had their chin up! I love history!

  • @MemoGrafix
    @MemoGrafix 6 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    This was made the year My Mother was born in Harlem in Harlem Hospital.

    • @mikeorclem
      @mikeorclem หลายเดือนก่อน

      thomas sowell (soul) moved to harlem around this time as a 9 year old.

  • @nola06
    @nola06 7 ปีที่แล้ว +80

    You present good stuff as always! I'm in awe at how clean the streets of Harlem were! I love the way our people dressed. Everyone seemed to take pride in their appearance then.

    • @nola06
      @nola06 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Willie Gordon Me too. I believe immigrant white Irish and Italian held those jobs.

    • @jerryharrell1543
      @jerryharrell1543 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      So true

    • @ruthsherman2507
      @ruthsherman2507 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I love the modesty of the women...

    • @lavendermilk3010
      @lavendermilk3010 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ruthsherman2507 bro what

    • @aGwEENapple
      @aGwEENapple 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@lavendermilk3010 do you not speak English?

  • @DWilliam1
    @DWilliam1 5 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    No empty storefronts. Business was booming.

  • @jasminehall9542
    @jasminehall9542 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Even though they were poor they still had some level of class!

  • @nasomggamerboytv3212
    @nasomggamerboytv3212 7 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    THIS IS AN NOSTALGIC ERA,IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND HISTORY!!! GOOD TIMES!!!

  • @staffygrrl
    @staffygrrl 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I love how they stand tall, going about their day. Some even with smiles on their face..

  • @maclac48
    @maclac48 5 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    This is amazing footage. It was so different back then. I was was also thinking about how young my grandmother & grandfather were during the time this footage was shoot. I think about where some of the people were going & or coming from. I think about a whole bunch of things watching this video.

  • @meemee5660
    @meemee5660 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    "The night is beautiful,
    So the faces of my people.
    The stars are beautiful,
    So the eyes of my people.
    Beautiful, also, is the sun.
    Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people."
    Langston Hughes

  • @bernadettescott7578
    @bernadettescott7578 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Year my mom is born, she's in a nursing home right now with some health challenges. We live in Harlem too. God bless you forever mom, keeping getting better and stronger and be filled with joy and happiness. 8/7/19. (Wed.) 1:33 a.m. 🌟

  • @m.l7091
    @m.l7091 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    My beautiful people , have to get back to this😢🌷

  • @Joshua-nc1be
    @Joshua-nc1be 7 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    This video took me back, saw someone riding the back of a bus... Ol skool'd

  • @user-wl1hw2ul6f
    @user-wl1hw2ul6f 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    @ 2:58 I noticed the lady selling ices...my father use to sell the same (peragwa) in Brooklyn RIP...miss you

  • @seanwright8786
    @seanwright8786 5 ปีที่แล้ว +106

    Reading the comments it is unanimous that we want some of the old culture to return. The respectably dressed men and women, the black businesses, the evident self-respect that can be noticed on a silent video. How do regain these jewels back?
    A) God has to enter back into the family. Regardless of whether the family is a single parent household or not.
    I didn't say religion. I said God
    B) Men have to be taught how to be the heads of their household or take care of the children that they produce... without being bitter at the mother.
    Women must be better examples of womanhood to their daughters and well as their sons. No dressing in the freak clothes that comes out of the mind of white people. Dress with dignity so our daughters can emulate that dignity.
    Fight like hell to keep the families unified. No ADULTERY(emphasis on the brothers).
    C) strong push at home for EDUCATION. We've been pushing but we have to push a little more. Get our youth in college! With the importance of coming back to the community to help edify the community and not flee from the community. We have to blame ourselves to some extent for GENTRIFICATION. It's happening all over the country. It ain't 100% the white man's fault. Some of it is ours.
    D) The knowledge of ourselves and our history(beyond slavery!!!)
    E)Unity starting at home; extending to the church, the mosque, the temples then into the community.
    F) Strong promotion of financial literacy to as many black families that will listen to the information.
    **in my humble observation, these are some important things that we're missing in the 21st century that the black community may have possessed or was working toward possession at the date of this video. I dont have all the answers and I ask any of my people to forgive me if I seem to come across arrogant or self-righteous. I love black people and I hurt when I see where we are at today which is why I've been working hard at helping us get out of this condition that we're in today.

    • @reelblack
      @reelblack  5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Well put. Thanks for sharing

    • @schadellconnor7891
      @schadellconnor7891 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      All truth brother!!🤔

    • @Natalia-hf3et
      @Natalia-hf3et 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Great points.

    • @PanessaMitchell
      @PanessaMitchell 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Amen! God bless you in being apart of the answer and it hurts me too
      I still choose a black man by my side because they're historically the strongest men on the planet.

    • @taresaweil7570
      @taresaweil7570 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Sean Wright wish i could u waayyyy more upvotes for this comment💯

  • @Enki_369
    @Enki_369 5 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    Queens Bridge (Project) was looking like a Huge Prison System to prepare for the Real Prison system that my people are still be Farmer into...

    • @roderickstockdale1678
      @roderickstockdale1678 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Om Ra yeah it does look a lot like a prison.....

    • @cjjaxxon
      @cjjaxxon 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      We said that about the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago. The way the front looked it looked like a prison.

    • @powerplay4real174
      @powerplay4real174 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      That's what they was preparing blacks youth for subliminally with the new living conditions that they would only see in hindsight 20/20.

    • @romeg4534
      @romeg4534 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yes sir, building so-called black people prison cells to live in back then but now the whole world is a ghetto so it doesn't matter.

    • @DETmichigan-yy6lf
      @DETmichigan-yy6lf 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah,they lock black people up for no reason at all huh?

  • @virgo7956
    @virgo7956 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Wow!! My grandparents lived in Harlem. This is amazing

  • @donjonesmusic860
    @donjonesmusic860 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Wow the making of queensbridge

    • @bigh9884
      @bigh9884 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Unfortunately that Queensbridge is gone.

    • @peekaboo3968
      @peekaboo3968 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@bigh9884where'd it go?

  • @raynereigns290
    @raynereigns290 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    LOOK AT THE KIDS INNOCENTLY PLAYING OUTSIDE THERE BUILDING NOT WORRYING BOUT GUNSHOTS OR TERRORIST COMING THROUGH THERE NEIGHBORHOOD LOOK LIKE SO MUCH FUN HERE AT 4:15!!!!

    • @andrewstaples8677
      @andrewstaples8677 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Duh it's New York try living in the south

  • @geraldrembert8321
    @geraldrembert8321 5 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    no sound. I grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Most of the businesses in my neighborhood were Black own.

  • @summerfalls1998
    @summerfalls1998 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    My beautiful people had so much love for them selves and others back then.

  • @janetpitts7302
    @janetpitts7302 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I love old footage like this! Look how everyone dressed so well just for everyday life, suits and nice dresses its ashame what our world has turned into, I'd love to turn back time and start over!!! That's when people had morals, dignity and cared how they were acting and living!! ✌

  • @deanguando1335
    @deanguando1335 5 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    We have definitely moved backwards in today's society.

  • @mrcead
    @mrcead 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Giving out roses to ReelBlack once again! This isn't taught in schools or at home but it needs to be. Thanks for the collection of positive historical black images instead of focusing on black pain like the mainstream

  • @Lamont24012
    @Lamont24012 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I wonder how many black brothers ,and sisters from this footage are still alive today .

  • @thequietrevolution7390
    @thequietrevolution7390 5 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    _No fast food places, no liquor stores, no Chinese or Arab businesses, no pimps, no street gangs, no drug dealers or addicts, no prostitutes, no questionable genders. Just black men, women and children going about their day. People conversing and conducting themselves with self respect, dignity and pride. Film in B&W yet the skies STILL seem clearer and bluer._

    • @montbrink4700
      @montbrink4700 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      It's nice to have nostalgia..... buts let be clear..... there were definitely gangs ..pimps.. prostitutes ...drug dealers and addicts......

    • @montbrink4700
      @montbrink4700 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @John Kimber I agree

    • @pagethreemodel
      @pagethreemodel 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      You're naive if you think drugs, prostitution and crime weren't rampant back then. Heroin for one, was a popular choice of drug. I wish people wouldn't get so stuck on how they dressed. A conservative attire doesn't say anything about a person's character.

  • @welfaredad
    @welfaredad 7 ปีที่แล้ว +52

    music from the era would go nice with this

    • @ertfgghhhh
      @ertfgghhhh 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      They were addicts. It was vulgarity all along. If u listen to the words, they were highly sexual too.

  • @reneemartin2954
    @reneemartin2954 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    SO MANY BEAUTIFUL COLORS!!!
    1 THING IN COMMON THEIR ALL BLACK & GORGEOUS!!!👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑

  • @carlatoppins8567
    @carlatoppins8567 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Whoa! Harlem World Back in the Day. Truly Black Folks Business Mecca. Ty for the Awesome Nostalgic Throwback.👍💜😉

  • @triggb71
    @triggb71 5 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    I love viewing these videos and I often wish that I was around to be a part of that time. Things were a lot different at that time but it certainly wasn't all roses as many of us know. There were hustlers, pimps, thieves, prostitutes, killers, etc back then but some people here see a short video from that time and act as if these things didn't exist at that time and they somehow only came about in the last 30-40 years. After viewing some of the comments I have to say, and with all due respect to everyone speaking on how people dress and behave now a days as oppose to back then, we have to blame the generations who came many years before the "now a days people". My point is that there has been a lot of ball dropping over the years to get to this point. Complacency, lack of respect for self and others, etc didn't begin in the 80s & 90s. I'm just calling it how it is.

    • @TrudyPatootie
      @TrudyPatootie 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Al B. Respectfully. I don't believe any of us think back to that time as our Utopia. This shows a small slice of us interacting with each other during the day. We appear to be respectful of each other and we dressed nice for ourselves and others.
      Of course the realities of the day certainly included all that you expressed, but what they saw on a daily basis up and down the streets of Harlem was shown on this clip. Nighttime? Much different. But I'm positive we all know that. 🤔

    • @damnglo6531
      @damnglo6531 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Wow

    • @damnglo6531
      @damnglo6531 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@TrudyPatootie Oh

  • @totsmini3105
    @totsmini3105 5 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Yes - Weren't they the Good 'ol days!... When People knew the Basics!!....

  • @87alock
    @87alock 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Love these old videos. Amazingly how it's so clear.

  • @ManPursueExcellence
    @ManPursueExcellence 6 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Watch 2:14. It seems the man is not happy and refuses the product. It seems the lady tries to convince him but, he waves his hand as he walks away. He’s not having it 😆

  • @brendaspoon1855
    @brendaspoon1855 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Fell LIKE 😢 crying. No ARGURING fighting. People going and coming so happy and free.. Among each other. Business people. Dressed with respect and dignity. Children going about so playful.. But now? Lord GOD of Abraham. So distant and froozen in there hatred lost identity and hardly no trust are safety within our own people.. Lost values and morals..less and less of..Thanks for sharing the footage.. Didn't know we would come to where we are now??? 😢

  • @jabbarjd5731
    @jabbarjd5731 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    That's my town and my other town of my grandparents. Wow, things change 80 years later and that's cool.

  • @belladionne
    @belladionne 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    They all were dressed to a tee! Love the style....

  • @christophersherman5404
    @christophersherman5404 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is truly beautiful and cool to be able to see day to day life back then. I love nostalgic footage. Priceless 🙂

  • @sblizzy
    @sblizzy 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    All I saw a was class! Sharp suits, sharp dresses. A proud community.

  • @stillwill2215
    @stillwill2215 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    And the neighborhood is clean.

  • @Unknown-qy3dx
    @Unknown-qy3dx 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    It's sad and melancholic to know that most of the children here are either dead or senile at the nursing homes.

  • @ladytoi1980
    @ladytoi1980 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Love this and in the projects was so clean and the kids playing looks like a pool too

  • @baronsaturday2103
    @baronsaturday2103 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This Is Priceless!

  • @fefe917
    @fefe917 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    One year before my parents were born. Dad's passed on, but mom is still here!

  • @lycan052
    @lycan052 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Although this was way before my time and even my parents. I was blessed to live through a time that seemed similar to this and that was the eighties. A time before the black on black war and the neighborhood I grew up in at a time wasn't plagued by drugs. The streets were safe and you didn't have to worry about children are innocent people killed or injured by strays. The music culture wasn't polluted, children minded their parents or any neighboring adults especially elders. When will we see those happy days again?

  • @kirijones3778
    @kirijones3778 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wow just amazing to watch. Everyone looked so Dapper! Fabulous

  • @MissJhane
    @MissJhane 7 ปีที่แล้ว +62

    I saw theblack police officer. I love this

    • @amandaplease3007
      @amandaplease3007 7 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Jeanica2Natural but he was only aloud to arrest blks...

    • @BigChefthefoodreviewer
      @BigChefthefoodreviewer 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      That was the law at that time.

    • @fernicusmaximus9282
      @fernicusmaximus9282 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Very true. If he were to arrest a white person he would lose his job.

    • @mellajoe
      @mellajoe 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Fernicus Maximus blacks were not aloud to touch whites or use the same facilities as whites. This is a time of segregation

    • @jtika1978
      @jtika1978 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Modest One there were lots of white people in this video

  • @uptownkal3046
    @uptownkal3046 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    LOL @ 2:22 whatever price she said he was not trying to hear it.

  • @michaelduggan1890
    @michaelduggan1890 5 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    These people were respectable and went about their business without bothering people . Nice to
    see . Where did this go ? To Bad .

  • @petedog1017
    @petedog1017 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    And here we are 90 years later watching these old generations on TH-cam, who would have a thought ...... Amazing

  • @NYC1927
    @NYC1927 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Awesome! Anyone else see the man hanging/riding on the back of the bus at 1:30? LOL!

  • @TheBrightstar13
    @TheBrightstar13 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Ahhh pre-crack. Such a beautiful time. Wish it really can go back to this. One Love...Jah Bless ❤💛💚

  • @loisedwi
    @loisedwi 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Wow!Wonderful testimony!Wish there would be sound also.Thank you for sharing😊

  • @theyenvydaydayschannel3335
    @theyenvydaydayschannel3335 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Back when we cared for each other' be kind respect and love you like I love me family in the neighborhoods all was family that what we lack nowadays Period

  • @reywell5515
    @reywell5515 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Fascinating! Seeing their dress, movements, actions. I love it!

  • @fasteddie9055
    @fasteddie9055 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I was born in Queensbridge in 1946. I lived there until 1953 . My dad bought a house about a mile away in Long Island City. I always went back to visit until 1967. The drugs were so common, that I became very skeptical of going into the projects.

  • @ThatLadyDray
    @ThatLadyDray 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    So my Grandmother was 5 during this time (different area). I'm wondering how she feels about the transformation she's witnessed.

  • @hrwatchinpuff6551
    @hrwatchinpuff6551 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This is what decent black folks looked like many years ago. I love this footage, and it’s important to share with our children today✊🏿

  • @hope2165
    @hope2165 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Even the street vendors dressed with dignity.

  • @queens718nyc5
    @queens718nyc5 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wow, my hood QB !! Amazing to see it from its humble roots

  • @shawngamble1025
    @shawngamble1025 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    This is awesome footage!

  • @atlasshrugged2u
    @atlasshrugged2u 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wow! I wish i could go back in time...

  • @StephLdavoski
    @StephLdavoski 5 ปีที่แล้ว +44

    We looked more civilized back then

  • @LadyTate925
    @LadyTate925 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    We've strayed so far from this type of humanity that this feels like a movie.

  • @qolspony
    @qolspony 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The start of building Queens Bridge projects were 1937. I guess this is a finish product. Anyway, the project concept was never favorable by the majority of people. But somehow, the government convince people that it would lift people out of poverty. But all it did was gave people access to basic services that was seen as a luxury back than. A lot of people don't know that many of the tenements did not have piping for running water. So many residence had to live like common country folks. But the projects change that, and that was good. Also, the apartments offer more space and there was always a play area outside the building. This wasn't so with the tenements that line the blocks. So in the beginning, the projects were a good concept.
    Than the 1970s came. The fiscal crisis and changing policies across the nation when it comes to manufacturing jobs. Since a large bulk of the black population relied on these jobs to make a living, when they left, so did their quality of life.
    For the record, it was common for a blue wage worker to make $13 an hour in 1960s if they had been on the job for several years. So this wage allow them to be stable and be a productive citizen. So when the jobs left, so did quality of life.
    In order for these individuals to carve a living for themselves and families, they engaged in illegal activity. This allow the crime to be concentrated in poor and black areas. So the projects once a ok thing, became a bad thing.
    But New York had been managing projects a lot longer than other cities, so the majority of them survived. But as you see today, their survival come at a risk, higher maintenance cost.

  • @goddesshatmehit4861
    @goddesshatmehit4861 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    My mother was just 4 years old wow 😮