Walking Past History: 145th Street Edition

Yesterday Chloe and I were coming back from Back-to-School shopping at Target when we passed 145th and Fredrick Douglass Boulevard.  That evening I saw an article on Facebook about wood paneling that had been removed from a wall on that block revealing a hidden history.  This morning my mother and I went back to investigate.

It appears that this was the former location of a pawn shop called Jack Sobel's Loan Office.  I was amazed by the colorful fliers and posters that have survived for almost five decades.  At least one of the posters dates back to 1965, when Harlemites could see a show at  The King Solomon Grand Lodge for $2.50.  It was unfortunate to see neighbors walking by without noticing the piece of history in their midst.  Perhaps that's because there were three huge bags of trash piled in front of it.  I hope that there is some effort made to preserve this part of Harlem's past.

Looking at this wall made me wonder what else was happening in Harlem in 1965 as people wandered by this storefront.  Here is what I found:

• Harlem was recovering from riots that occurred a year earlier after an under-cover police officer shot and killed a 15 year old.  Over 8,000 people took to the streets in protest.

Photo: Newyorknatives.com

• The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam.
• James Baldwin publishes, Going to Meet the Man, his revolutionary collection of short stories.
• Bill Cosby stars in I Spy becoming the first Black person to headline an American television show.
• You could get a U.S. postage stamp for a nickel and a gallon of milk for less than a dollar.

1965

• And Malcolm X was assassinated on Feb. 21st, three months and a day before the show advertised on the wall of the pawn shop.