In July 1970 Jack Garofalo photographed the neighborhood of Harlem, New York for Paris Match magazine. Once a borough with a thriving black population, Harlem was a black mecca up until World War II. As the 60s ended many black Harlem residents left the city in what many would consider an exodus, in search of better schools and crime-free communities.
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: Youth read anti-drug posters plastered on a building. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: Women cross the street. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: ‘Black is Beautiful’ portrait of two women (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970 (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970 (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970. A woman and her daughter. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: Women in Central Park. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: The ‘Black Spirit’ African American bookstore. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: Big Joe (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Black Panther Party members stand in front of flyers of imprisoned party members
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: Youth wearing African style hats and tunics in front of a record store. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: Man distributing a Muslim newspaper. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: An Ethnology college student with a traditional African threading style. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: ‘Black is Beautiful’ portrait. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: A young woman getting her head shaved. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: Billy the Butcher, his wife and children in their 8th Avenue apartment. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: Telephone booths for African Americans. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: A just-married African American couple. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
Harlem: The Ghetto. New York City- Harlem- July 1970: An African American child claps to the rhythm of a vinyl turntable. (Photo by Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images)
What do you think of the Harlem photo essay?
What wonderful photos. I wonder if the newlyweds are still married.
What a wonderful glimpse into the not so distant past. I am loving all of the naptural hairstyles and African garb. Beautiful!!!
beautiful photos
I loved every minute of this!
Beautiful photos! This is so inspiring!
I love this article! There is nothing new under the sun—-Everything is recycled. My mom was either 4 or 5 months pregnant with me when these pictures were taken.
Loved the photos! The pix of the mother and daughter, I was about the age of the toddler.
This is a beautiful glimpse of my beautiful people. From style, to politics, to social issues, we cover it all with heavy influence on the world. Being born and raised in Harlem
, I might be a bit biased though.
[…] 22 Fascinating Photos of Black Life and Style in 1970 Harlem – BGLH, September 21, 2015 […]
The captions? That’s the title of the editorial in which the photos are published under.
Beautiful!
Wow…As far as fashion, it’s like what was once old is now new again. Like the biblical quote says, ” What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” My mom never forgets to jokingly remind me how much our generation has stolen from her’s haha.…I always tell her it’s a compliment.
OMG.. These photos are everything..
Calling it Harlem : The Ghetto, is an insult to all who lived there, just call it Harlem.
I remember as a child my father would load us up in our new 1969 Cadillac and we would drive around the city from Brooklyn. These pictures bring back memories both good and bad