Photo Essay: The Movement to 'Defend Harlem'
A look into the 'Defend Harlem' protest at Columbia.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
October 4, 2024
On the afternoon of Monday, September 30th, Columbia University students and Harlem locals gathered at 116th street and Broadway outside the College Walk gates to protest against the University's expansion into the neighboring Harlem community. Working together with the community group, Defend Harlem: NY Interfaith Commission for Housing Equality, student protesters emphasized the University’s extensive role in Harlem’s gentrification.
The protesters expressed concerns about how Columbia’s continued real estate developments displace long-term residents and raise housing costs, thus erasing the cultural history of one of New York’s most iconic neighborhoods. Harlem community members and students held speeches and recited chants such as “Columbia open your eyes, Harlem is not yours to buy,” and “When Columbia steals with impunity, we demand community” to call for an end to "Ivy Imperialism" and demand the preservation of affordable housing for the community. This protest was the latest in a series of actions against Columbia's gentrifying impact on the neighborhood.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Demonstrators wearing keffiyehs as they join the ‘Defend Harlem’ protests in solidarity with Harlem residents displaced by Columbia land acquisitions.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Crowds of protestors made up of students and Harlem residents gathered on the sidewalk by the Columbia front gates. They chanted, held signs, and passed out flyers to passing pedestrians.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Student protestors stood in the crowd holding signs that read “Columbia out of Harlem” and “No More Land Grabs! People over Profit.”
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Protesters gathered near campus, expressing opposition to University-led real estate expansion in Harlem to passing pedestrians.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Protestors wearing keffiyehs stand side by side amidst the busy crowd of protestors and passing people.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
A participant wearing keffiyeh holds a sign that reads, “Columbia is a school, not a landlord,” and flyers with information regarding Columbia’s gentrification of Harlem.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
A protester holding sign above the crowd to raise awareness about the issues of Columbia’s repeated land acquisitions.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Defend Harlem and student organizers lead chants outside the University calling for an end to the displacement.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Protester plays a drum amidst other protesters demanding change.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Protestors chant holding signs as pedestrians walk in and out of the 116th and Broadway train station.
Photography by Sophia Arango/The Barnard Bulletin
Four protestors with heads covered by keffiyehs or coats advocate for Harlem residents as they listen to a man speaking about the gentrification of the area.
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