Philip Payton, the father of black Harlem, Kevin McGruder
Type
Label
Philip Payton, the father of black Harlem, Kevin McGruder
Language
eng
Index
no index present
Literary Form
non fiction
Main title
Philip Payton
Medium
electronic resource
Nature of contents
dictionaries
Responsibility statement
Kevin McGruder
Sub title
the father of black Harlem
Summary
At the turn of the early twentieth century, Harlem-the iconic Black neighborhood-was predominantly white. The Black real estate entrepreneur Philip Payton played a central role in Harlem's transformation. He founded the Afro-American Realty Company in 1903, vowing to vanquish housing discrimination. Yet, this ambitious mission faltered as Payton faced the constraints of white capitalist power structures. In this biography, Kevin McGruder explores Payton's career and its implications for the history of residential segregation. Payton stood up for the right of Black people to live in Harlem in the face of vocal white resistance. Through skillful use of print media, he branded Harlem as a Black community and attracted interest from those interested in racial uplift. Yet while Payton "opened" Harlem streets, his business model depended on continued racial segregation. Like white real estate investors, he benefited from the lack of housing options available to desperate Black tenants by charging higher rents. Payton developed a specialty in renting all-Black buildings, rather than the integrated buildings he had once envisioned, and his personal successes ultimately entrenched Manhattan's racial boundaries. McGruder highlights what Payton's story shows about the limits of seeking advancement through enterprise in a capitalist system deeply implicated in racial inequality. At a time when understanding the roots of residential segregation has become increasingly urgent, this biography sheds new light on the man and the forces that shaped Harlem
Target audience
adult
Classification
Contributor
Creator
Subject
- Harlem (New York, N.Y.) -- Biography
- Harlem (New York, N.Y.) -- History
- Electronic books
- Payton, Philip, 1876-1917
- African American businesspeople -- New York (State) -- New York -- Biography
- Real estate development -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 20th century
- Discrimination in housing -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 20th century
- African Americans + Housing -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 20th century
- Real estate developers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Biography
Content
Author
Incoming Resources
- Has instance1
Outgoing Resources
- Classification1
- Contributor1
- Creator1
- Subject9
- Harlem (New York, N.Y.) -- Biography
- Harlem (New York, N.Y.) -- History
- Electronic books
- Payton, Philip, 1876-1917
- African American businesspeople -- New York (State) -- New York -- Biography
- Real estate development -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 20th century
- Discrimination in housing -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 20th century
- African Americans + Housing -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 20th century
- Real estate developers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Biography
- Content1
- Author1