Editor’s Note: Earlier this year, we grieved the loss of Congressman Charlie Rangel, Harlem’s Hero and the “Lion of Lenox Avenue.” Always a champion and defender of New York’s Black community, one of his favorite celebrations of it was Harlem Week. To him, Harlem Week was a showcase of the best the enclave had to offer, river to river. Last year, he wrote this op-ed for the AmNews about why the event is important, and we wanted to offer his thoughts again as a remembrance.
This op-ed originally ran on August 1, 2024
Lots of people think that Harlem Week is actually Lloyd Williams Week, and they may have that impression because he has worked so tirelessly to make it successful over the last 50 years. He is more satisfied with the results than making people know the role he has played. People have no idea how important his reputation plays in attracting supporters, sponsors, and talent; how difficult it is to maintain that high standard—and to do that for half a century is remarkable, given how things change from generation to generation.
Look, Chinatown has changed, Little Italy has changed, the Bowery has changed. And as difficult as it is for me to accept at my age and retirement, I can imagine how my predecessors felt when Adam Clayton Powell said “It’s a new day!”
Things are changing, and so is our ability to try to hold onto what we have and never lose what we have. Never lose the culture, do expand the political power, and make adjustments when we have to. To be against something without any idea of how to replace it can be counterproductive. You can hate the new and curse the change, but unless you have a plan to adjust or replace it, you are cursing the darkness. Change is something that Lloyd and his team have done so smoothly that you hardly notice it.
It never entered my mind back in 1974 that Harlem Week (HW) would be a national and historic occasion, and at the same time, provide so many economic opportunities for a countless number of people.
HW is just one of the extraordinary accomplishments of Lloyd Williams. I remember when Percy Sutton and I thought about such an event as little more than a block party. I have learned so much from the people who have been a part of the celebration—their talents and entrepreneurship have been indispensable to the community’s development. The Chamber has done a great job with superb staff and leadership. I don’t think anything like Harlem Week has been done anywhere in the country.
I have been around the country and I’ve gone to a lot of fairs that have been white-type festivals, but I can’t remember Black folks coming out even for a shorter period, showing their talent, their wares, their foods, their culture, their songs, their clothes, and the constant variety of opportunities in terms of the involvement of businesses, the networking on how to deliver their services to the people. I don’t want to overstate it, but Lloyd has done a fantastic job, and one of the things that impresses me is how he can do this without politics. He has a board of directors, that’s true, but to navigate this without a lot of criticism is incredible.
Over all these years, Harlem Week has endured without an embarrassing moment or incident. You almost expect something terrible given the size of the crowds each year, but they continue to come and the week continues to expand.
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Congressmember Charles Rangel represented Harlem for more than 40 years.