The Friends Historical Context

The Friends Historical Context

Several reviewers have commented on Guy's effective portrayal of Harlem in novels such as The Friends. Since she arrived in the United States from Trinidad in 1932, Harlem has played a key role in her life and work. It has also played a central role in the cultural, political, and intellectual life of black America.

At the turn of the twentieth century, however, Harlem was primarily occupied by the English and Germans, although a wave of Jewish immigrants had begun to move into the area. In 1904, Phillip A. Payton Jr., a black real estate agent, initiated a project which would eventually turn Harlem into a black community. He began leasing empty buildings in order to rent them to African-American families. This opportunity, blended with an increased migration of blacks from the southern states, precipitated a rapid growth in the area. Caribbean immigrants, as well, swelled the population during...
(read more)