New from Columbia University Press:
Race and Real Estate: Conflict and Cooperation in Harlem, 1890-1920 (June 2015), by
Kevin McGruder (Antioch College). The Press explains:
Through the lens of real estate transactions from 1890 to 1920, Kevin
McGruder offers an innovative perspective on Harlem's history and
reveals the complex interactions between whites and African Americans at
a critical time of migration and development. During these decades
Harlem saw a dramatic increase in its African American population, and
although most histories speak only of the white residents who met these
newcomers with hostility, this book uncovers a range of reactions.
Although
some white Harlem residents used racially restrictive real estate
practices to inhibit the influx of African Americans into the
neighborhood, others believed African Americans had a right to settle in
a place they could afford and helped facilitate sales. These years saw
Harlem change not into a "ghetto," as many histories portray, but into a
community that became a symbol of the possibilities and challenges
black populations faced across the nation.
This book also
introduces alternative reasons behind African Americans' migration to
Harlem, showing that they came not to escape poverty but to establish a
lasting community. Owning real estate was an essential part of this
plan, along with building churches, erecting youth-serving facilities,
and gaining power in public office. In providing a fuller, more nuanced
history of Harlem, McGruder adds greater depth in understanding its
development and identity as both an African American and a biracial
community.
A blurb of note:
"Kevin McGruder's meticulous study shows us exactly how black migrants
to Harlem between 1890 and 1920 created a community. His analysis of the
role of black real estate agents and black churches in 'opening' Harlem
to black residents is fascinating, and his attention to the ways that
ethnicity structured white responses to the movement of blacks to white
neighborhoods is nuanced and insightful." — Beryl Satter, Rutgers
University
More information, including the TOC and an excerpt, is available
here.
