The Phoenix index., 1940-02-10
HarIemites Offer Vivid
Contrasts Sid Reveals
All tongues
And CoIors
In Population
By SID THOMPSON


One-half of its population knows
nothing OF how the other half lives
and cares less. Sugar Hill resi-
dents seldom. if ever, stray to the
slumS of the East Side or Valley
district of Harlem. These folk of
the Valley turn up their noses at
the Sugar Hill denizens.
In derision, they call it Sweet
enin' Hill and say when it rains,
not sweet water >but something
worse (Which stinkS) runs down the
hillsides, The West Indian popula-
ton looks down upon their Amer
ican brothers-in-color, yet each B.
w. l. subject will tell you that they
prefer Americans as friends, for
their own kind are everything
wrong, according TO them
The Colored American has a lip
hatred of the B.W.I brother but
secretly admires him, for most OF
the Harlem's successful business
men are West Indians. All big bus
mess belonging to colored people
are either owned by or managed by
West Indians. They make splendid
friends for Americans and once
one does a favor for them, it is not
soon forgotten. And hatreds be-
tween the two are similar to Ken
lucky mountaineer fueds.
While the Spanish speaking ele-
ment in Harlem, does not, as rule,
mingle with the American Negro
to great extent, there is always
a small percentage of them at every
large gathering. Their beautiful
exotic women get about in Harlem
social and cafe society more than
American Socialites women want
them to-but the American colorec
man is always eager to be seen
with foreign beauty. A few, very
few at that, of the Spanish hom-
bres are at the helm of severa
restaurants and grills and theil
grace and charming ways with the
women account for the large fe-
male patronage.
The French-speaking coloreo
people of Harlem are a bit clan.
nish, preferring to stick to theiI
own kind. They prefer the COM
pany of white Frenchmen to Negro
Americans. They have their owr
dances, little businesses, dingy lit
tie basement joints where they for
gather and do their rhumba ing
(Which in their language means a
good time).
Seldom do you see many Ameri-
cans resent at these almost closed
affairs, but one can and does al
ways find white emige from some
European country. The famed
French laxity of morals is absent
and we must say that the Negro
French male is not tolerant ami
NAL when it comes to -boozline
around his women.
CUBANS CLANNISH
The Cubans almost live off tt
themselves, never caring to mix
with "colored people" as they call
the American Negro. We have
heard some of the blackeSt of them
call an octe1oGn (Americam ?
''colored man. The lighter com.
plexioned Cubans have entry every
where in Manhattan and are con-
sidered as one with the whites
by the whites.
Some Of Broadway's most gilt
tering stars are Cubans, who, be-
cause of their facility in foreign
tongue, can go anywhere. One Of
the top notch dancers of mite club
fame, the toast of Broadway play
boys and recipient of much praise
from newspaper columnists, even
the great Walter Winchell, is a
New Orleans Negro girl, reared in
one of the numerous parishes near
there. She rode boat to Havana
got job in cafe and arrived in
New York as "a star from Cuba.
The dance hall set of girls is
composed, in the main part, by
girls. some highly educated, who
work all day at domestic Jobs, jobs
in the downtown garment section,
maids in stores, where they ilear
and see life as it is lived by afflu-
ent white girls. They try their
darnest to emulate these white
girls and, to great extent sue
ceed admirably. Some have huS-
bands, colored men whom they took
up. at one of these dances. They
live separately, one in one part of
The village and the other far away.
riley can dance until 3 am. and
get few hours sleep and be ready
for work at 7-8 am. No wonder
one sees so many young-old girls.
DOMESTICS HAVE FLING
The domeStics have their fling
on Thursdays and Sundays and on
rights set aside at the 0alhOoiHS
as free night. They gladly pay the
I5c wardrobe and dance till dawn.
Eager, nay anxious for a good
time, they take on all comers. Not
all of them are promiScuous, by
any means. Some are, but they
can be spotted easily. Most WORK
six days per week and have their
fun on their day off. One can cas-
lily see where the Savoy and Golden
Gate Bathrooms draw their huge
crowds from, when one considers
that Metropolitan New York, ac-
Cording To best figures available,
employs upward of 100000 Negro
ris,l,. ct