Harlem Branch YMCA

Description

Organized in 1901 by Reverend C.T. Walker of the Mount Olivet Baptist Church as the Colored Men’s Branch, this branch first started in mid-Manhattan. It was later moved to the Harlem area and its name changed in 1919 to the One Hundred-Thirty Fifth Street Branch. In 1933 it opened a new building, and two years later took the name Harlem Branch, which had been used by another branch until 1933. In the post World War II era the branch fostered a renaissance that sharpened the YMCA’s credo of ""spirit, mind and body."" Always a haven for writers, the Harlem Y gained recognition for its active theater program. During the same period athletics became a focal point as African American athletes made waves in professional sporting ranks. Religious and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited often, preaching his vision of equality and social justice. The national fight for civil rights turned the branch’s eye towards poverty and urban issues that were effecting their membership and service population. Programs such as the Youth Enrichment Program, which dealt with drug abuse prevention; the Black Achievers’ Program, which highlights successful African Americans; and basketball programs all were different methods for producing role models for African American children to look up to and real methods to equip them with the tools to succeed in life.

Record Contributed By

University of Minnesota Libraries