Summary
Sugar Hill is a historical Harlem neighborhood that gained its nickname in the 1920s when the area became famous among rich African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance era. Sugar Hill is most known for its significance in the early twentieth century as a hub of cultural growth and economic wealth for African Americans in Harlem, Manhattan. African American intellectuals gathered on Sugar Hill in magnificent row apartments and houses facing the plains of downtown Harlem located at the top of Coogan’s Bluff. The city districts were established between 2000 and 2002, while the National district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in early 2002.
Boundary
Sugar Hill, Harlem, is located in New York Metropolitan and is regarded as one of the nicest areas to reside in the city. It stands between West 145th and West 155th Streets, as well as between Amsterdam and Edgecombe Avenues. Sugar Hill, sometimes considered a suburb of Harlem, features elegant Victorian houses, peaceful lanes, and churches on Convent Avenue. Harlem has several pubs, restaurants, coffee houses, and playgrounds. Harlem is home to many young professionals and liberal inhabitants (Boffone, 2021). Lenox Avenue, also known as Malcolm X Boulevard, is the most renowned street in Harlem, located in the upper half of the Section of New York City.
History
Sugar Hill gained name in the 1920s when it became a fashionable spot for rich African Americans in the era of the Harlem Renaissance. Sugar Hill contained row houses where renowned African Americans like W. E. B. Du Bois lived, reflecting the “sweet life” there. Some of the mythical customs of the Harlem Renaissance were inspired by criminality, poverty, and other societal ills (Owens, 2018). Sugar Hill youngsters idolized these achievers and were exposed to arts and entertainment at home, church, and throughout the neighborhood. Books, music courses, and art workshops broadened their perspectives beyond the confines of segregation. Brief histories of jazz superstars Duke Ellington and Count Basie are included.
The Interviews
The interviewee’s were David who was our childhood pastor, Derek, a retired football player who grew up in this neighborhood; and Georgina, a college student. The notable strengths that our pastor says we should be very proud that we have are a peaceful environment, and a vibrant youth. The deficits are cases of theft and police brutality on some occasions. Derek focuses on the parks that offer recreation for the youth as the strength. He laughs during the interview noting that the whole population is undoing by not utilizing the facilities around. Gun violence is now a forgotten thing, but she notes that she notes that the greatest deficit would be losing history.
Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the prevailing conditions under which individuals are born, thrive, reside, age and work. They comprise of financial position, education, job, physical surroundings, and social support networks (Jones, 2005). Sugar Hill, a National Historic District in Manhattan’s Harlem and Hamilton Gardens districts, represents health. North Gwinnett School invites faculty, learners, and Gwinnett residents to examine and give feedback on suggested instructional materials in languages and mathematics for certain courses and grades. Other social determinants of health that have been instrumental in Sugar hill are the churches and schools involved in the daily nurturing of the next generation of leaders.
Demographic Changes
Parts of the community have steadily vanished behind wooden boards and become construction facilities, only to reappear as new office and residential buildings. Harlem’s vast African American cultural and historical relevance is fading (Lees & Philips, 2018). Since 2006, family-run local businesses whose employees knew the majority of their clients have vanished, substituted by global corporations such as Starbucks. Public places have been renovated, police presence has risen, and crime has decreased. Gentrification has also resulted in the relocation of long-term inhabitants with roots in Harlem’s streets.
Action Plan
I am addressing insecurity in Sugar Hill, Harlem. My slogan is ‘Be Safe Always’. The plan is to encourage everyone to be a neighbor’s keeper because that is the only way to win the war (Jones, 2005). Several initiatives include stopping mail service when the family is away on vacation and volunteering to participate in security advocacy groups. I will encourage everyone to cease receiving mail whenever they leave on holiday so that burglars do not suspect if there is no one home. As a result, residents should halt delivery or have a neighbor pick up the letters and papers.
References
- Boffone, T. (2021). Renegades : digital dance cultures from Dubsmash to TikTok. Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
- Lees, L., & Philips, M. (2018). Handbook of Gentrification Studies. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Owens, D. (2018). Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology. The University of Georgia Press.