"Keep The Faith"

“Keep the Faith”: Religion in Harlem

On the northeast corner of 125^th St. stands the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office building and statue. Powell was the first person of African-American descent to be elected from New York to Congress, who increased meals and clothing provided to the need, and learned about the working class and poor in Harlem. The statue of the preacher and statesman depicts Powell holding his briefcase and looking down the bustling commercial street and the historical and cultural center of Harlem. Below him decorated in historical text outlines religious words, “Keep the Faith”. He is dressed in professional attire looking down Harlem’s history of jazz, R&B, and hip-hop garnished by the most famous theatre in Manhattan, the Apollo. Powell is the focal point of the street, and its plaza has been a center for community gatherings, celebration of President Obama, a vigil for Michael Jackson, and other sociopolitical movements throughout the years.

Harlem is an organism of growth and change looking through the lenses of American history, which has at the heart of it, religion. Reminding us of Baldwin’s Go Tell It on The Mountain, the root of Harlem is the Church and the music that is affiliated with it.  Through the street murals and music, religion has swept the neighborhood since the beginning of its birth. Interestingly, through the changes of music and history, Powell, preacher and statesman, looks down the street and overshadows 125^th street. It is still a gathering place for the community even after the secularization of the state, specifically in NYC.

As religion is an underlying factor to Harlem’s mood and vibrations, another movement has been sweeping the neighborhood to gentrify Harlem. What will gentrification mean for the vibrant neighborhood of culture and tradition? Will Powell still be looking down the street in honor when modernization might dilute or eliminate some of Harlem’s greatest treasures? Franchises are already replacing family owned stores. Small business owners and jazz clubs still thrive in Harlem since the greatest players have first started their career in the neighborhood. While having nicer buildings and modernization is not a bad thing, it has been an area of concern for builders and tenants to not drive out the residents, the rich history, and culture that are imbedded in Harlem.

Through all the recent unfolding, the intersection of community and spirituality is still highlighted by the adorned statue of Powell. It connects the street’s soul to religion shown through symbolisms in murals and music. Parks are still connected to churches, and songs are still connected to spirituality. Powell is a momentous figure who included the workers of the street and culture of his community. The statue of him as a preacher and statesman will not go away, but what he stood for in the community may change in the future.