I Remember Harlem: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A four-part documentary film with the title I Remember Harlem. It consists of four (4) reels of 16mm color polyester film with optical sound.

The documentary uses archival footage, interviews with residents, and still photographs to chronicle the early settlement of the Village of Harlem in the 17th century to its redevelopment in the 1970s. In part one, "The Early Years 1600-1930," the narrator discusses Harlem's original inhabitants, the Lenape, and the sale of their land to the Dutch. Part two, "The Depression Years 1930-1940" discusses Harlem's changing demographics in the early 20th century. Part three, "Toward Freedom, 1940-1965," focuses on urban decay in Harlem in the mid-20th century. Part four, "Towards A New Day," focuses on the impact of the civil rights movement on the neighborhood.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1981
• Directed by: William Miles, American, born 1931
• Produced by: William Miles, American, born 1931
• Subject of: Cotton Club, American, 1923 - 1940
• Subject of: Apollo Theater, American, founded 1934
• Subject of: Adam Clayton Powell Jr., American, 1908 - 1972
• Subject of: Stokely Carmichael, Trinidadian American, 1941 - 1998
• Subject of: James L. Farmer Jr., American, 1920 - 1999
• Subject of: Dick Gregory, American, 1932 - 2017
• Type: sound films
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: feature films
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: polyester film
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 1): 51 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1850 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 2): 50 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1800 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 3): 50 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1800 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 4): 50 Minutes
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Harlem, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Hell's Kitchen, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Documentary films
• Topic: Film
• Topic: United States History
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2017.55.85.1a-d
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.