Join us in-person or online for a one-day conference to consider the 1936 Mayor’s Commission report on Conditions in Harlem and to ponder, what if? What if Mayor LaGuardia had released the findings to the public; what if the recommendations had been acted upon; and, what if the findings had been viewed broadly as indicative of the poor treatment of Black people in American cities?

The conference will feature panel presentations with scholars, advocates, historians, residents, and researchers addressing the key focus areas from the initial report: Justice, Education, Housing, Employment, Healthcare, and Social Services.

Appointed by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia after a 1935 night of unrest and violence in Harlem, the Commission members elicited testimony at 21 public hearings and reported on by six subcommittees: Crime and the Police, Education, Housing, Discrimination in Employment, Health and Hospitalization, and Relief. Every chapter in the report presented an indictment of how the City was serving the 200,000 Black residents of Harlem. The report also listed dozens of steps that could help remedy the conditions.

The report was never issued by the City. The convening examines the what if question and where Harlem and its’ residents are today.

The convening is provided in collaboration between The Department of Records and Information Services, the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at NYU, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Vital City, NYC Speaks, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives. Recently, the Administration of Mayor Eric Adams in partnership with NYC Speaks, a public-private initiative for government transformation, surveyed New Yorkers and convened community conversations on issues of concern to help shape the City’s top initiatives. Many of the responses echo the concerns of those from the 1936 commission report.

Learn more about the 1935 events in Harlem and the LaGuardia Commission: https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2019/3/1/the-mayors-commission-on-conditions-in-harlem-1935

View the convening website to take a deeper dive into the subject and conference details: https://harlemconditions.cityofnewyork.us/

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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