Harlem
Americannoun
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a section of New York City, in the NE part of Manhattan.
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a tidal river in New York City, between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx, which, with Spuyten Duyvil Creek, connects the Hudson and East rivers. 8 miles (13 km) long.
noun
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During the 1920s, Harlem was the site of a great upsurge in black literature, music, and theater known as the Harlem Renaissance.
Mostly populated by African-Americans, Harlem has long been a center of black culture.
The area now contains a large Puerto Rican population and, after a period of economic decay, has experienced a revitalization.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The film, newly restored from Greaves’ father William’s original offering, captures a staggering array of luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance reflecting on the period during a four-hour cocktail party at Duke Ellington’s townhouse in 1972.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026
Joy’s yellow brick and white limestone home is located in the historic Strivers’ Row neighborhood, named for the culturally significant residents who have clustered there since the Harlem Renaissance in the early 1900s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
In 1998, Max was sentenced to community service teaching art in Harlem and a $30,000 fine after prosecutors charged him with concealing $714,000 in income from art sales between 1988 and 1991.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
At close to two-and-a-half hours with a story that stretches from Harlem to Southeast Asia, “American Gangster” hardly seems like Small Ridley at first glance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Of course. I’ve already talked with Mr. Hernandez. We’re going to analyze songs by Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar and compare the lyrics to poems written during the Harlem Renaissance.”
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
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