Gentrifiers Want To Rename Harlem 'SoHa' And Residents Are Not Having It

Harlem. The name alone carries such a culturally rich history. From Langston Hughes and James Baldwin cementing Harlem's legacy in prose and verse to Nina Simone and W.E.B Du Bois defying the standard and standing up for the rights of Black Americans, not just in Harlem, but everywhere. How could anyone want to forget Harlem? Well, one company certainly is trying to do just that with the attempted rebranding of the beloved New York neighborhood.

Developers and real estate agents have been trying to ease into lower Harlem and refer to it as 'SoHa', short for South Harlem. The idea is for developers to come in and make the area between 110th Street and 125th Street seem more trendy, similar to SoHo -- and Harlem residents are not here for it! 

“How dare someone try to rob our culture, and try to act as if we were not here, and create a new name, a new reality as if the clock started when other people showed up?,” state Senator-elect Brian Benjamin said in a press conference held in May. 

Local leaders and community board members showed up and spoke out against the idea, rejecting the name, saying that it would lead to high-end developers and wealthy white people moving in, which would inevitably lead to the displacement of long-time residents. Some called the rebranding disrespectful and an attempt to whitewash the historically black community. 

Check out the footage below:

“No real estate company, no coffee shop, no business should be using the term ‘SoHa’ to refer to Harlem. This is a home, this is a culture, this is a place that people visit,” said Community Board 10 member and real estate broker Danni Tyson. “This is Harlem — a wonderful brand, a brand that is known all over this world." 

It's clear when it comes to SoHa, Harlem residents aren't having it. Harlem’s congressman Adriano Espaillat vows to stop the SoHa move. Tell Us what you think about this attempt to rebrand black history, fam.