Harlem Residents Outraged Over Attempts To Rebrand Neighborhood As 'SoHa'

Image courtesy of NY1

Attempts to rebrand a section of Harlem as "SoHa" has left residents outraged.

Short for South Harlem, the name SoHa has been used by business people rebranding the area of Harlem that goes from 110th Street to 125th Street. However, community leaders and residents alike have spoken out against the name change, which they see as a sign of gentrification.

"No real estate company, no coffee shop, no business should be using the term SoHa to refer to Harlem," Danni Tyson, a Community Board 10 member, said in an interview with NY1.

Tyson, along with others opposing the name change, were in attendance at a news conference on Wednesday, where they said that the name change tarnishes Harlem's history as the capital of black America.

"How dare someone try to rob our culture, and try to act as if we were not here, and create a new name, a new reality as if the clock started when other people showed up," State Senator-Elect Brian Benjamin said.

The name SoHa originally appeared in a New York Times story 18 years ago about the first signs of gentrification hitting the area, and has been used more frequently since.

Community leaders are particularly upset with the real estate agency Keller Williams, which has a SoHa team on 115th Street.

Source via NY1