Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Sunday, Aug. 10, to celebrate Harlem’s rich history as the community celebrated the 51st Harlem Week festival.
Hochul said the two new laws will rename the 110 St-Central Park North subway station 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza and empower the Council on the Arts to designate the Harlem Renaissance Cultural District as a region of cultural significance.
“One of the best ways to celebrate the rich history and community of Harlem is to recognize the contributions of Malcolm X and the Harlem Renaissance to New York and the world,” Gov. Hochul said. “From the struggle for civil rights and equality to boundary-breaking cultural impacts of American icons like Zora Neale Hurston and Duke Ellington, Harlem has been at the center of progress in our nation for generations.
“It is especially meaningful to be here as we celebrate Harlem Week and mourn the passing of its co-founder, Lloyd A. Williams, whose life was dedicated to championing this community,” she added.
To commemorate the life and legacy of Civil Rights leader Malcolm X and his historic connections to the Harlem community, Hochul signed S.1204/A.5339, renaming the 110 St-Central Park North 2/3 subway station 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza.
The governor noted that Malcolm X lived in Harlem for over a decade, first in 1943 and then from 1954 until his assassination in 1965.
This legislation renames the station south of the Malcolm Shabazz Plaza after Malcolm X. Malcolm X’s daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, chairperson of the Board of the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, joined Hochul and the Harlem Community for the renaming ceremony.
With 2025 being the 100th anniversary of the emergence of the Harlem Renaissance, a defining period in American culture, Hochul signed S.7152A/A.8220A, which designates the Harlem Renaissance Cultural District as a region of cultural significance.
After the Great Migration, the governor noted that Harlem grew to include about 175,000 Black residents, making it the world’s most densely populated Black community.
She said the Harlem Renaissance saw this community flourish in the 1920s and 1930s, spawning a revolution of music, art, literature, theatre, fashion, politics, and scholarship, the impacts of which are still felt today.
Founded in 1974 by then-Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton and Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce founder and CEO Lloyd A. Williams, and now in its 51st year, Hochul said Harlem Week is a celebration that brings together the greater Harlem community’s residents, businesses, religious, educational, arts, and cultural institutions.
She said this year’s theme is “Celebrate Our Magic,” which “shines a light on the culture and community of Harlem, New York City, New York State, and the ‘Harlems of the World.'”
Before the bill signing, Gov. Hochul and local leaders observed a moment of silence in memory of Lloyd A. Williams, who passed away on Aug. 5.
Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Harlem is more than a neighborhood — it is the capital of Black culture, a cornerstone of New York State’s history, and a wellspring of creativity, resilience, and pride.
“From its pivotal role in the Harlem Renaissance to its enduring contributions in arts, politics, and civil rights, Harlem has shaped the identity of our state and our nation, and molded icons like Malcolm X,” she said. “Harlem’s unmatched cultural legacy, vibrant community, and economic resurgence — from the restoration of the legendary Victoria Theater to its emerging biotech corridor — continue to show the world why Duke Ellington insisted: Drop Me Off In Harlem.”
