Wars can be fought and lost in a century; love can be found and won in a century; the previously perceived “impossible” can become reality, and a person can live their lives witnessing it all in a century. Thus is the case for East Harlem resident Catherine Knowles, who celebrated her 100th birthday last week. Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs was there to commemorate the occasion.
“I feel good,” Knowles said with a laugh. “I don’t feel no different so far.”
Knowles was born April 10, 1924 at Harlem Hospital in Manhattan. She was educated at parochial Catholic schools in her adolescence, she said. As a young woman, Knowles worked for Macy’s on 34th Street in Manhattan. She retired from Macy’s in the late 1980s at age 62, after working there for 32 years.
Knowles and her late husband, Nathaniel Knowles, raised their family in Harlem. She had five children, two of whom are now deceased. Her family said she is an attentive grandmother with her grands, great-grands, and great-great-grandchildren.
A huge proponent of friendship and traveling, Knowles was a part of a women’s social club called The Friendly Dozen. Social clubs for women were popularized in the 1920s. Some had political affiliations while others offered a sense of community and support. Knowles said her club was primarily for trips, dinners, and monthly gatherings.
“We called them the Dirty Dozen though,” joked her youngest daughter, Darlene. Knowles kept the same energy of “ripping and running in the streets,” having fun at the casino whenever she could, and constantly traveling after her retirement, said her family. Right up until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she had all her wits about her. It’s only in the last four years that Knowles’ life has slowed down, said her family.
Knowles’ birthday party, held at the community center in the Franklin Plaza apartments, was a festive affair with at least five generations in attendance.
“I became the first formerly incarcerated New York State legislator. Born and raised here in East Harlem. Always said I’m gonna give back and never gonna forget those who brought me in,” said Gibbs at the party as he presented Knowles with a citation, which recognizes individuals and groups/organizations within the district who are commemorating a significant occasion.
Knowles is one of many from Harlem and East Harlem that make up the district’s Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC), which is how primarily senior communities are described. There are 60 official NORCs in the city, but about half are funded for services to older residents, said the Department for the Aging.
The secret to her longevity? “Taking care of myself. Don’t get into no arguments or anything. Just being myself, doing what I had to do. Being in company with my friends and going on trips,” Knowles said.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.