Found 4 collections related to African American families -- New York (State) -- New York

New York City's first so-called Slum Clearance Project, headed by urban planner Robert Moses, caused the physical destruction of a once tight-knit African American community that dated back to the early 1900s. The buildings on 98th and 99th in Upper West Side Manhattan, or what is affectionately known today as "The Old Community", were razed from the 1940s to the 1950s as part of this urban renewal program. Although the residents were forced to relocate, the community stayed connected through annual dances (ca. 1950s-1990s) organized by constituents of the West 98th and 99th Streets Association, and then through "The Old Community" annual reunions (1999-) headed by Jim Torain. The Old Community West 98th-99th Streets Reunion collection consists of "The Old Community" reunion programs, 2003-2011; background information on some of the former community members; reports; journal, newspaper, and magazine articles about the history of the West 98th and 99th Streets community, Park West Village (which replaced the buildings on West 98th and 99th Streets), and the urban renewal program and its impact on this neighborhood. Additionally, there are a few Spirit of 179 newsletters, 1952-1953, which were written by the young members of the PS 179 Community Center. They note some of the community events before the relocation took place. less

Henry A. Toppin (1884-1965), born in Barbados, immigrated to the U.S. in 1906. He became a licensed undertaker and established a funeral parlor in Harlem in 1934; his son, Alvin, joined the firm sometime later. Toppin was active in political and civic affairs; he was a member of the N.Y. State Democratic Committee, and a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in 1952. He was a Prince Hall Mason and a Shriner and held various offices in both fraternal organizations. Henry Toppin's other son, Kenneth (1917-1993), was a graduate of the Howard University College of Medicine, 1944, and served as attending physician at Harlem Hospital from 1952-1976. He was also associated with other New York City hospitals. Henry A. Toppin's papers consist of personal letters from relatives and friends, including letters from his wife while he visited Barbados in 1946, and letters from a cousin in Barbados regarding property there; mortgages, leases, receipts, and correspondence for property owned in Barbados and in New York City; letters and other documents concerning his activities with the Democratic Party and his role in the 1952 National Convention; and a few documents related to his membership in the Prince Hall Masonic lodge, M.W. Hiram Grand Lodge. Kenneth L. Toppin's papers consist of personal and professional correspondence (the latter deals primarily with appointments to hospital positions); and material related to his membership in the Guardsmen, a fraternal organization. less

Michele Wallace is best known for her first book, Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman, which is considered the first collection of essays published by a black woman, and the first book published by a black feminist. The Michele Wallace papers document her career as a cultural critic, journalist, and intellectual since the late 1970s. less