The Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market is a cornerstone of cultural heritage and economic life in Harlem and New York City. For decades, it has been more than a place of commerce — it is a living cultural space where African, African-American, Muslim, Caribbean, and Harlem-rooted communities gather, sustain livelihoods, and preserve traditions.

Today, this market is once again being displaced.

This is not the first time.

This is the third displacement of the African Market over the years — and each time, the market becomes smaller, more precarious, and more vulnerable to permanent erasure.

What Is Happening Now

The Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market has been closed at its current location and temporarily relocated to the former Conway site on 116th Street and Lenox Avenue, with a grand reopening scheduled for February 12.

We strongly encourage the public to support the vendors at this temporary location, as this market is their livelihood and primary source of income.

However, serious contradictions and concerns have emerged:

 • Organizers publicly assured the community that rent would notincrease and that coffee shops, restaurants, and chain businesses would not replace vendors.

 • Multiple vendors have independently reported being told that rent will go up — and that some are unsure if they will be able to return at all.

 • Some vendors, especially women, have expressed they don’t feel confident about returning to a redeveloped space.

These conflicting messages — one for the public, another for vendors — raise urgent concerns about transparency, accountability, and the future of the market.

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A Pattern Harlem Knows Too Well
We have heard these promises before.

Across Harlem and New York City, “affordable housing” and “temporary relocation” have too often resulted in:

 • permanent displacement

 • cultural erasure

 • rising rents that push out the very people redevelopment claims to help

So we ask plainly and respectfully:

Affordable housing for who?

Development for who?

And why must cultural markets be repeatedly uprooted in the process?

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What We Are Demanding

We support investment, safety improvements, and revitalization — but not at the cost of displacement or erasure of cultural history.

We demand that the City of New York, under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, developers, and relevant agencies commit in writing to:

 1. Guarantee the permanent return of the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market to Harlem’s street level once redevelopment is complete.

 2. Stabilize vendor rents with legally binding protections so that prices cannot be raised to the point of displacement.

 3. Ensure vendors have meaningful decision-making power in the redevelopment process, not just informational meetings.

 4. Prohibit chain coffee shops and restaurants that contribute to rent inflation — or ensure any commercial additions do not displace existing vendors or raise their costs.

 5. Keep the market visible, accessible, and culturally grounded, not moved to hidden or basement spaces.

 6. Provide transparent, consistent communication so vendors and the community are not receiving conflicting or last-minute information.

⸻Why This Matters

The Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market is more than commerce — it is culture, history, belonging, and livelihood. If this market is buried, downsized permanently, or replaced with coffee shops and restaurants that inflate rents and change the character of the space, Harlem loses something irreversible.

Too often in New York City, promises of “affordable housing” and “community benefit” look good in public statements but result in displacement and loss of community control when the final plans are implemented. We cannot let that happen here.

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Our Goal

We aim to collect 10,000–20,000 signatures from Harlem residents, supporters of cultural preservation, small-business advocates, and anyone who believes in inclusive development.

Once we reach our goal, this petition will be formally submitted to:

 • Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Office,

 • The NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development,

 • The NYC Economic Development Corporation, and

 • Local elected officials.

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Stand With Harlem

By signing this petition, you are standing for:

 • cultural preservation

 • economic justice

 • community-led development

 • transparent accountability

Say yes to improvements that protect people.

Say no to displacement disguised as progress.

Protect the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market — today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Stand With Harlem

 

By signing this petition, you are standing for:

 • cultural preservation

 • economic justice

 • community-led development

 • transparent accountability

 

Say yes to improvements that protect people.

Say no to displacement disguised as progress.

 

Protect the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market — today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.