[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 32 (Tuesday, February 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING BET NETWORK'S TV SERIES, ``HARLEM HEIGHTS''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2009

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Randolph D. 
Sturrup and Kurt Williamson for creating BET Network's latest 
television series, ``Harlem Heights,'' premiering on March 2, 2009 at 
my beloved Harlem's grandest stage, the Apollo Theatre.
  Harlem Heights is a half-hour reality docu-drama highlighting the ups 
of and downs of seven young African-American professionals struggling 
to balance hectic work schedules with complicated social lives. It 
offers a window into the fascinating world of New York's young, Black 
and fabulous crowd. Picking up where college leaves off, the show 
features a diverse cast of twenty-somethings with different backgrounds 
and personalities but common goals: making the post college leap into 
adulthood and finding love and success in the big city on their own 
terms.
  The concept of Harlem Heights evolved from the creator's deep 
fascination with Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance. Some of our most 
prolific leaders from the past in the world of literature and music 
such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, and Richard 
Wright all lived in Harlem and started their careers there. Randy and 
Kurt wanted to tell the story of a group of friends all between the 
ages of 25-30 who represent the new Harlem renaissance and all live 
within the world's most famous neighborhood. The show explores the ups 
and downs of being in your mid-twenties in the chapter post college. 
Some of the issues they explore in the series include: career 
transition, love, life challenges, and community.
  Harlem has gone through many changes. In the 1950s Harlem was 
predominately Black and was a thriving community. The pulse of American 
culture always began in Harlem through the musical and literature 
influences. Also Harlem is the home of some of our great political 
figures during the civil rights movement. There are so many historical 
landmarks in Harlem such as the Apollo Theater, Cotton Club, Grant's 
Tomb, and Abyssinian Baptist Church. Over the next two decades Harlem 
became a symbol of urban decay with crime and drugs that infested the 
community. In recent years, the Harlem community has emerged as a place 
of opportunity and resurgence. There's a climate of change and 
progression within Harlem that is symbolic and parallel to the lives of 
the cast of Harlem Heights. This show represents the new renaissance of 
young, talented and successful African-Americans that are emerging as 
leaders and trendsetters within the Harlem community.
  So Madam Speaker, I ask that in this Black History Month, that you 
and my distinguished colleagues join me in celebrating the creation of 
such a remarkable and impressive series that all Americans can equally 
enjoy.

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