Rep. Charles Rangel, 81, at the September unveiling of a portrait celebrating his previous chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee. (Photo courtesy of Rep. Rangel's office)

Rep.Charles Rangel, an enduring Harlem institution at 81, won’t be yielding his Congressional seat anytime soon, it appears. A high-profile Rangel fundraiser last month at a Washington, D.C., restaurant reportedly raised around $50,000, with major Democratic Party figures out in force.

And in an email to his campaign’s mailing list earlier this month, Rangel made clear that he plans to “fight like hell for the privilege of serving again” in the 15th Congressional District. This is his 40th year as a member of the House of Representatives and his 20th Congressional term.

“Charlie’s definitely running again,” confirmed Bob Liff, a Rangel spokesman. “He always campaigns like he never takes anything for granted,” and next year’s primary and general elections will be no different.

The latest available Federal Election Commission filings show that Rangel’s main campaign committee, Rangel for Congress, received $652,485 in contributions this year and has $338,054 in net available funds. From July 1 to September 30 alone, his committee raised $345,946.

In last year’s primary, despite a highly publicized House censure for ethics violations, Rangel easily outpaced the next most popular Democratic candidate, former Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, 26,101 votes to 11,834.

“What happens in Washington isn’t always reflected in the people’s districts,” said Liff. “On the substance of the job, Charlie Rangel hasn’t lost anything. I challenge you to find another district where a Congressman has had more impact on the lives of people on the street, and really on virtually every block.”

In fact, Liff argued, the 2010 censure might have bolstered Rangel’s support. “Last year we had, in some ways, a better turnout, as there was a sense among people in New York that Charlie was being unfairly treated,” he said. Liff argued that Rangel’s transgressions were “merely rules violations, without any corruption or personal gain involved.”

Last year, in a field of five Democratic opponents, Rangel still drew over 50 per cent of the vote in the Democratic primary. He then defeated Republican Michael Faulkner by a landslide in the general election, with 80 percent of the vote.

But upcoming elections may bring another unpredictable shift for Rangel and others, as a state taskforce redraws Senate, Assembly, and Congressional district lines. Electoral redistricting, which takes place every decade, could reflect the significant demographic changes in Rangel’s district, specifically its growing Hispanic majority. According to the Census, the district is currently 46 percent Hispanic, 26 percent African-American and 21 percent Caucasian.

Pundits of all stripes have speculated for some time about who might eventually replace Rangel when he does step down or lose at the polls. He may be warily eyeing one potential challenger, experienced Washington political operative Clyde Williams, as evidenced by some nameless sniping in a December 6 campaign email. Another possible challenger, Vince Morgan, has received local press attention as a vocal critic of problems with Columbia’s Manhattanville development.

The candidate considered closest to a natural Rangel successor, and most likely to win his endorsement eventually, is Assemblyman Keith Wright. Liff noted that Rangel has a “lot of respect” for Wright.

“People are positioning themselves for when Rangel moves on,” said one Democrat familiar with Rangel’s work. “He’s been there for 40 years, and everyone has had to wait; now you have three generations waiting there, who want that seat.”

Read interviews with each of these likely contenders – Clyde Williams, Vincent Morgan and Assemblyman Keith Wright – all likely to play a key role in Harlem politics next year.

Assemblyman Keith Wright, pictured here at his district office in Harlem's 125th Street State Office building, has long been an active player in Manhattan politics. (Photo by Nat Rudarakanchana)

Assemblyman Keith Wright, first elected to the New York State Assembly in 1992, has often been portrayed as Rangel’s favorite to inherit his seat, when Rangel resigns from the House of Representatives or declines to seek re-election. Wright, however, is coy about his plans.

“I would look at running, sure,” said Wright casually in an interview at his district office, deep within the towering Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office on 125th Street. “I would show some real interest.”

Asked about potential competitors in 2014, the 56-year-old Wright said he had “no idea.” What about State Sen. Bill Perkins, widely considered a key competitor in that scenario? “He’s a fine senator,” was all Wright would say. “I have not discussed this with him.”

Wright’s district office, cluttered but warm, is dominated by photos of historic Harlem politicos and tokens of constituent gratitude, reflecting his longtime involvement in neighborhood politics. The state building itself is a politically-wired hub, housing Rangel, Perkins, and City Councilwoman Inez Dickens.

Wright, chair of the Assembly’s labor committee, formerly led the influential Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus. Throughout his career he has worked on issues involving small businesses, affordable housing, youth and the working class.

“Listen, we’re a district that needs a lot of help,” Wright observed, “whether it’s in education, economic development, healthcare, or housing – you name it.”

Though the Assemblyman spends a good deal of his time in Albany, many constituents are familiar with him. Born and raised in Harlem, he currently lives in the Riverton Houses, the large mid-income development on 135th Street and Fifth Avenue, in the very apartment he grew up in.

Last February, after the State Supreme Court ordered that Riverton Houses be sold because of a massive default by its former owner, Wright announced that he planned on “involving various State and City agencies to ensure that tenant needs are being properly addressed.”

“Of course I have a very special closeness to the property,” said Wright, once the complex’s tenant association president. “I think it’s an anchor in the neighborhood, but certainly it doesn’t make me work any harder or any less because I live there. I work just as hard for other properties in peril.” He explained that he felt wary of the sale happening too soon and to the wrong people.

Some think Wright’s grassroots activism and strong Harlem roots make him a frontrunner for Rangel’s seat one day. “People know Wright and he’s very well-liked,” observed Basil Smikle, a political strategist and adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. “There’s a natural progression from Assemblyman to frontrunner for Congress, should Rangel step down sometime.

“Those prospects would look good for him – he has a lot more credibility and gravitas than others like Williams and Morgan,” Smikle added. His own bid for Perkins’ senate seat in 2010 was backed by Wright’s Democratic club, known as the Frederick Samuel Democratic Club.

Wright had considerable political experience before becoming an elected official, having worked for former Mayor David Dinkins during his tenure as Manhattan borough president.

“Working with Dave Dinkins was probably the most important job I had in so many ways, because it reintroduced me to my community,” he said. “You really don’t know a community unless you walk the streets, and that’s where I started walking the streets.”

Wright ran for Manhattan borough president himself in 2005, but lost the Democratic nomination to current incumbent Scott Stringer, whom he describes as a “great” borough president.  Eight other candidates ran in that hotly contested primary, with Wright receiving 8,078 votes to Stringer’s 40,226.

He said he learned a lot in that race, which allowed him to establish relationships with key political players throughout Manhattan. “It gave me a chance to get into Chinatown, Gramercy Park, Inwood, Chelsea, you name the neighborhood,” he said. “I formed some great friendships and alliances.”

That campaign led, in Wright’s view, to his becoming chair of the Manhattan Democratic Party in 2009, a position with some influence on official party nominations of Civil Court and Supreme Court judges. “It’s probably the most important position that a person could serve in without anyone knowing about it,” he said. “It’s the position no one knows about.”

Responding to criticism of those nominations from the Daily News, Wright defended the transparency and fairness of the process, commenting that “no one can dispute the quality and caliber of the judges that we have nominated.”

As for two other potential Rangel-replacers, Clyde Williams and Vincent Morgan, Wright said he knew Williams had “done some work, helping a couple of businesses in Harlem” but that otherwise,”I don’t know what other kinds of public service he has participated in. I have nothing bad to say about Clyde, but quite honestly, if you’re running against Rangel, you really need to have more grassroots experience.”

Much the same could be said of Morgan, he said. “In Congress, seniority is what really makes the difference. Would people want a person that’s been in Congress for 40 years, or someone who’s just kind of a neophyte?”

In contrast, though he himself has no Congressional seniority, “Wright has a lot of clout and sizeable influence,” said Smikle. “When people ask what he’s done and what he can do, he will have that narrative all ready.”

Read more about political players Vincent Morgan, Clyde Williams and Charles Rangel in this special Congressional 2012 report.

Education

Tufts University, BA in Political Science and History

Rutgers University, Degree in Law

Past Career Highlights

Director of Uptown Office, Manhattan Borough President’s office (1986 – 1990)

Assistant Director of Government Relations, New York City Transit Authority (1990 – 1992)

Assemblyman, New York State 70^th Assembly District (1992 – present)

Family Politics

Wright’s father was the late New York Supreme Court Justice Bruce Wright, a controversial city judge.

Campaign Finances

According to New York State Board of Elections filings, the Friends of Keith Wright, his main campaign committee for Assembly, raised $101,747 between November 1, 2008 and November 1, 2010. Wright was last elected in November 2010.

Recent Controversies

The New York Daily News recently criticized Wright for making the process of nominating Manhattan judges more opaque and questionable, by not publicly disclosing the names of panelists who recommend candidates as in previous years. The newspaper also noted that Wright’s administrator attended interviews and asked questions, a role previously served by a non-political administrator.

There are also recent claims from the New York Daily News concerning minor campaign rule violations by judicial candidates Wright backed.  “The Daily News doesn’t know what they’re talking about. First of all they wrote fiction. But that’s never stopped them before,” Wright responded. “They were upset that some judges didn’t file financial disclosures.” But Wright said the judges had filed them, “so they didn’t know what they were talking about.”

Vincent Morgan, a Congressional candidate for upper Manhattan, makes his political pitch in an interview at the trendy Harlem Tavern. (Photo by Nat Rudarakanchana)

Vincent Morgan arrives at the fashionable Harlem Tavern on 116th Street and Frederick Douglass, sharply dressed in a suit and tie, to make his case that he symbolizes a fresh type of Harlem politician.

Morgan, 42, expects to run again next year for New York’s 15th Congressional seat, which primarily covers Harlem, Inwood, Washington Heights and the Upper West Side. He challenged incumbent Charles Rangel in last year’s Democratic primary, but placed last of five candidates.

Still, Morgan isn’t worried. It’s more important that he “actually saw through, from beginning, middle, and end, a campaign,” says Morgan, a former community banker. “I talked to a lot of people and I think I laid the foundation to be the strongest candidate against Charlie Rangel in 2012.

“I know the street, and I know the issues,” he continues. “I’m looking forward to 2012 because I think people are ready for a change, and they’re ready for a change from someone who’s been here and raised their kids here.”

Born and raised in Chicago, Morgan moved to Harlem in 2000. Later, as chairman of the 125th Street Business Improvement District, managing aspects of upper Manhattan’s chief commercial artery, Morgan became familiar with residents, businesspeople and property owners.

Most recently, as a community banker at TD Bank, Morgan says he directed $25 million in direct investment in upper Manhattan to meet the bank’s Commercial Reinvestment Act obligations. The sum includes small business loans, grants to local nonprofits and about $20 million in commercial loans, often to construction developments with affordable housing components.

Morgan identifies “economic empowerment” –including creating jobs and establishing a class of local entrepreneurs — as his top campaign issue; he also emphasizes education, public safety and socially responsible development.

As a former employee of both the 125th Street Business Improvement District and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corp., two influential uptown business groups, Morgan has strong local business ties. At both organizations, he worked closely with local business owners.

“I can read financial documents,” he says. “I know how to structure a deal.” While he pays respects to elder statesmen like Rangel, he also insists that “times have changed” and that it’s “time to progress.”

Morgan got his first taste of politics in 2001, when he worked for Rangel’s office as a special assistant. He describes Rangel as “old school: many elements of his personality are larger than life. He’s a very, very skilled politician.”

Morgan will invest $50,000 of his own money in his campaign, he says, and claims to have raised about $15,000 in the most recent quarter. But his profile page on the website of ActBlue, a nonprofit Democratic political committee listed on his official campaign website as the only online way to contribute, shows only $700 raised from four contributors for the current election cycle.

He need not officially report all contributions, however, until the Federal Election Commissions filing deadline of January 31.

His latest official campaign finance filings, for July 1 to September 30, report only a single contribution of $24,220, from Morgan himself, along with campaign expenditures of $6670. His campaign committee, Morgan for Congress, has raised no money this year.

Morgan says his target is to raise $500,000 by summer, but adds that fundraising isn’t everything in this race, where Rangel is expected to outspend everyone.

“If you think you can win this race by just buying it, then you forget who lives in this district,” Morgan says. “These people expect to be talked to, and money can only take you so far.”

In recent weeks, Morgan has drawn press coverage as a vocal critic of the West Harlem Local Development Corporation, currently under investigation by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Morgan has criticized the group as lacking accountability and proper organization and documentation.

Morgan himself started a business partnership in April 2004 in Chicago, called South Parkway Venture Group LLC, which eventually faced “involuntary dissolution.”  A company usually faces involuntary dissolution for fraud, or for failing to maintain itself and register annual reports.

Morgan explains that he allowed the state to dissolve this partnership, set up specifically for a personal real estate purchase, after which it was no longer needed. He doesn’t find the incident noteworthy or improper.

Basil Smikle, a political strategist and adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, says of Morgan: “He represents a younger generation. He’s very smart, has a great sense of the community and has spent a good amount of time raising his family in Harlem.”

When Smikle ran unsuccessfully against State Sen. Bill Perkins in last year’s Democratic primary, he campaigned with Morgan, who got a “great reception,” he said. “He’s got some great relationships in the neighborhood.”

Morgan, however, only received 1210 votes in last year’s Democratic primary, of 52,602 votes cast. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic about 2012.

Read more about political players Keith Wright, Clyde Williams and Charles Rangel in this special Congressional 2012 report.

Education

Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, Masters in Public Administration

University of Illinois at Chicago, BS in Management

Career Highlights

Community banker, TD Bank (2006 – 2011)

Chairman, 125th Street Business Improvement District (2009 – 2011)

Marketing director, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (2004 – 2006)

Special assistant, NY 15th Congressional District Office (2001 – 2004)

Current Employment 

Morgan resigned from TD Bank in March 2010 to focus on his Congressional campaign.

Campaign Finances

Morgan’s treasurer Reynaldo Snyden received a warning letter from the Federal Election Commission in April for failing to file a campaign finance report by the January 31 deadline. Ultimately no fine was levied. However, Morgan’s campaign committee Morgan for Congress has received at least three warning letters for improper filing.

Recent Controversies

Morgan has criticized the organization which distributes community funds connected to Columbia University’s Manhattanville campus expansion. “There needs to be more transparency on the expenditures and verification that those expenditures went to something tangible,” he says. “We shined a light on something important at a stage where we can correct it before any more money is outlaid.”

Clyde Williams sits in front of Katrina Parris Flowers, a small Harlem florist he aided while working for the Clinton Foundation. (Photo by Nat Rudarakanchana)

No stranger to Washington, or to the White House, Clyde Williams has worked for both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as a domestic policy advisor and as political director of the influential Democratic National Committee, respectively.

In an initial meeting at Lenox Avenue’s stylish Italian restaurant Settepani, where he often takes guests and associates, Williams, who is 49, carefully outlined his likely 2012 bid for a seat in New York’s 15th Congressional District.

He sounded modestly optimistic about outpacing Rep. Charles Rangel in the primary, but insisted on defining the race in terms of district issues,  not personalities.

He emphasized education, unemployment and job training, and added that he had a “great deal of experience” working on economic issues in government.

“The issues that are most important to a community like northern Manhattan – and I want to be clear that the district is not just Harlem, it’s northern Manhattan  – are economic issues, the same issues that impact people all across our country,” said Williams in a subsequent telephone interview.

“I’ve seen first-hand, up close and personal, how good government can work and how government can actually do nothing,” he commented. “It’s extremely important that you pay attention to economic issues, because if you figure out how to move the ball on those issues, you can impact the community in a profound way.”

Born and raised in Washington, Williams first moved to Harlem in 2001 to work with the Clinton Foundation. He also ran the Harlem Speaker Series, which invited figures like former President Clinton, then-Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Congressman Charles Rangel, to speak in Harlem.

Though previously he split his time between Washington and New York, since June Williams has moved to Harlem full-time.

Williams has reportedly raised around $50,000 for his race, according to a recent article in the New York Times. He declined to confirm the figure, saying only that “people will find out how much money I’ve raised when I have to file my disclosure form” with the Federal Election Commission.

He acknowledged, however, that previous reports about his fundraising have captured figures in “the right ball park” for his early, exploratory campaign activities.

According to Federal Election Commission filings, Williams officially registered the Clyde Williams for Congress Exploratory Committee on November 9, allowing him to raise funds for a possible race. The committee, headed by Williams’ longtime friend Samuel Ginsberg, has not yet submitted official campaign finance reports and isn’t required to until January 31.

Williams also refused to comment on a poll he commissioned to assess his chances in the race against Rangel; he hired Whitman Insight Strategies, a firm often associated with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The New York Daily News has reported on the poll’s results, which showed that only 35 percent of those surveyed would vote for Rangel in the key Democratic primary. The sample was made up of 600 district residents likely to vote in the key Democratic primary.

In fundraising, he said, he would “cast a wide net…You definitely reach out to people you have some relationship with, but you have to go beyond that, too. We’ll see what happens.”

Williams’ ties to Harlem are fairly strong. Although he only moved to the neighborhood in 2001, Williams led the Harlem Small Business Initiative under the Clinton Foundation, which has offices on 125th Street. The program helped small local businesses with accounting, computing and other administrative tasks by providing expertise and mentors.

One business it aided is Settepani itself, where staff greeted Williams with respect. Williams deflected questions about how much work he has done in the community, however, saying instead that people can learn about his work by asking those affected by it.

Williams is also listed as the CEO of CEMK Inc., primarily a management consulting firm, according to official New York Department of State records. Opened in April 2005, the firm is currently defunct: Williams says he shut it down after he moved back to Washington in 2008, though it “still exists on paper.”

Williams and his campaign treasurer Ginsberg are also mentioned in a contract between Dicon Technologies LLC and SpongeTechReid. SpongeTechReid acquired Dicon for $2.35 million in July 2009, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Williams explained that he and four friends originally bought Dicon Technologies, which manufactures sponges in Savannah, Georgia, but eventually decided to sell the company as the national economy worsened. He declined to say how the $2.35m was split between the five company directors, or how much he initially invested in the firm.

SpongeTechReid CEO Michael Metter was later convicted in August 2010 for massive business fraud, after the Securities and Exchange Commission investigated the firm, which soon declared bankruptcy. “Dicon Technologies was a company we bought. It was a company based in China – we brought the company back to America and created 125 manufacturing jobs,” Williams said. “Just as friends, we bought a business.” He added that he had no inkling of SpongeTechReid’s corporate malfeasance.

Sources familiar with the uptown political scene felt unsure about Williams’ chances next year. “He’s a serious candidate with good credentials, but he has to come up with a compelling narrative for voters in the district,” said Basil Smikle, a political strategist and adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

“His biggest issue is getting voters to know who he is, and really understanding the workings of the neighborhood. He’s got to get to know all the tenant leaders, community leaders and clergy leaders, and that takes time.”

Read more about political players Vincent Morgan, Keith Wright and Charles Rangel in this special Congressional 2012 report.

Education

Howard University, BA in Political Science

Past Career Highlights

National Political Director of the Democratic National Committee (2009 –2011)

Vice President for State and Local Government Affairs at the Center for American Progress (2004 – 2005)

Domestic Policy Advisor to the Clinton Foundation (2001 – 2005)

Current Employment Status

Williams has resigned from full-time employment to focus more fully on his likely 2012 campaign.

Family Politics

Mona Sutphen, deputy chief of staff for Barack Obama from 2008 to 2011, is Williams’ wife. Sutphen and Williams met in the White House.

Recent Controversies

Williams recently commissioned a poll, costing $25,000 to $30,000, by Whitman Insight Strategies, to assess his chances in the upcoming race against incumbent Charles Rangel, according to The New York Daily News. In an email sent to his campaign mailing list, Rangel urged Williams to release the findings, but Williams has declined to disclose the poll’s results or cost. The Daily News reports the findings as encouraging for Williams, however.

Melissa Mark-Viverito's office in East Harlem offers pamphlets in English, Spanish and Chinese. (Photo by Sarah Tan)

The number of Asian-Americans in East Harlem is growing, census data shows, as residents continue to leave Manhattan’s Chinatown, no longer home to the highest number of Chinese-born New Yorkers.

Chinatown’s Chinese population dropped nearly 20 percent from 2000, with almost 6,000 residents finding new neighborhoods.

During the same time period, East Harlem’s total Asian population reached 3 percent, according to the 2010 census. Asian residents increased from 520 to 1,766 — a 239 percent increase.

Preston Tan, Asian community liaison for Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito, said both older adults and young families are moving into the area. “They’re all coming here for the same reasons, though: public housing that’s offered up here, cheaper rents and larger spaces for family,” Tan said.

He recently met a Chinese family who had moved into Franklin Plaza and has kids in high school. He’s also met families with children who attend elementary school.

“The Asian population up in Franklin Plaza wasn’t that much in the 1990s, but now through word of mouth, they’re saying there’s cheap rent. The environment is not that bad and people sign up and wait over six to 10 years,” Tan said.

Most of the newcomers have immigrated  from Guangdong and Fujian provinces and Taiwan; a majority are Cantonese and Mandarin speakers.

The Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc., a large Asian social service organization, has been helping Chinese communities for five decades. “For individuals that come in, we provide a variety of services, especially for immigrants that are new to the country,” said Eileen Ooi, a development associate.

The Council assists with anything from job searches to after-school programs and food stamp assistance. “I would think if they move to a neighborhood where stores don’t offer services in Chinese, it would be a problem,” said Ooi of new residents.

In addition to East Harlem, Flushing and parts of Brooklyn have also seen an influx of Chinese-Americans.

But Joseph Pereria, director of the CUNY Center for Urban Research, cautioned,”Don’t expect Harlem to become the next Chinatown overnight.  The numbers are so small.”

Read more about a neighborhood adapting to a growing Chinese population here.

Huang Ying Xia, 80, lives alone in senior housing, and would love to see a Chinese vegetable stall open nearby. (Photo: Nat Rudarakanchana)

Huang Ying Xia, an 80-year-old immigrant from Shanghai, has lived alone in an East Harlem senior housing center for four years. Her husband moved back to China to better cope with his medical problems; meanwhile, she hesitates to ask her married children to drive over from New Jersey just to keep her company.

Feeling sick and intimidated by the wintry weather, Huang missed the most recent community trip to Chinatown, where she usually buys Chinese groceries, prescription medicines and, sometimes, an ethnic dinner.

“I like going down to Chinatown, because I’m able to talk to the people there,” said Huang in Mandarin, though she notes she has never lived there. “People around here don’t really speak Chinese.”

Just this fall, Alma Collazo, the social work coordinator for Linkage Houses – where Huang and six other elderly Chinese reside – began offering free monthly shuttle bus trips to Chinatown, in conjunction with East Harlem’s Union Settlement Association. Collazo had noticed that elderly Chinese residents couldn’t easily make the long trek to Chinatown alone.

In response to such concerns, City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito is also devising a plan to invite Chinese businesses to East Harlem. Initially, she hopes to bring a stall selling fresh Chinese produce to La Marqueta, the city-owned marketplace at East 115th Street and Park Avenue.

“This is an idea that came about as a result of interactions and outreach with my Chinese constituents,” said Mark-Viverito. “Residents in senior buildings asked about some assistance in getting to Chinatown in order to shop.”

Mark-Viverito plans to work with Chinatown Councilwoman Margaret Chin, as well as the city’s Economic Development Corporation, to make this fledging business plan a reality.

She is more cautious, however, about inviting even a handful of other Chinese businesses to East Harlem too hastily. Although the area’s Chinese population has grown and become more visible in recent years, it remains relatively small.

According to the Center for Urban Research at the City University of New York, Asians represented only 0.9 percent of East Harlem’s population in 2000, but had reached 3 percent by 2010. This represents an increase of almost 1250 Asians over the decade, with 1766 Asian East Harlem residents counted in 2010.

“We’d want to see how this stall is received first,” said Mark-Viverito. “We want to see how the community responds.” She added, “I think the community will respond well.”

Asked about possible tensions between new Chinese businesses and longtime local businessowners, she noted, “This is a stall in La Marqueta. It’s not a bodega, and what it can do is limited, since right now it could only sell produce.”

At least two stall owners in La Marqueta, John Colon of Breezy Hill Orchard and Mama Grace of the X-Square African Caribbean Food Store, would welcome a future Chinese neighbor.

Justin Yu, president of the city’s Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said he agreed “100 per cent” with Mark-Viverito’s plan. But Yu added that “there would have to be incentives” for larger Chinese businesses to move into East Harlem. Businesspeople would only be attracted to the area if they spotted opportunities to make money, in addition to providing a public service to locals.

“The government should give these businesses a place, like a greenmarket, to regularly sell these vegetables,” he said.

Mak Cheung, 73, has lived at Franklin Plaza, an East Harlem public housing complex, for over a decade; he was also glad to hear of the plan.

“It’d be more convenient,” he said of the proposed stall, speaking in Cantonese. “I would definitely buy from there. I also wouldn’t have to spend any money getting down to Chinatown anymore.”

Franklin Plaza is particularly popular with Chinese families, said Preston Tan, Mark-Viverito’s Chinese community liaison. Commenting on the plan, Tan said, “I think it’s great, and will definitely attract a lot of Chinese customers. Even if it’s a small stall, it’s a start, and we don’t know how it would fare if we made a big Chinese supermarket.”

The local Chinese population also needs medical and health services, Tan said, and special attention for Asian children attending schools here.

Huang’s concerns, however, are smaller in scale. She’d love to be able to buy fresh fish from a local Chinese-style wet market stall, instead of frozen fish from Costco, where she’s currently forced to shop because of her limited mobility.

“In our culture,” she concluded, “we love to eat live, fresh seafood.”

Read more about ethnic changes in East Harlem here.

Courtney Orr and Katherine Trahan compete in the 2011 New York City Marathon to raise money for  Harlem RBI, which works with local children. The Uptowner follows the runners from the time they wake up until they cross the finish line.

Read more about the Harlem RBI runners and the marathon here.

Courtney Orr wears her finisher's cape with pride after running her first New York City Marathon and raising $2,500 for Harlem RBI. (Photo by Nat Rudarakanchana)

Courtney Orr woke up at 6 a.m. ready to run 26.2 miles. She put on her red and black spandex outfit, had a big bowl of cinnamon oatmeal and said goodbye to her roommate.

“I’m kind of in a fog. It’s weird to think about what’s going to be happening in a couple hours,” said Orr, 21, a Manhattan Marymount College senior running her first marathon.

As a record 47,000 runners pounded the pavement through all five boroughs in the 41^st annual New York City Marathon on golden fall day, Harlem RBI, an organization devoted to the success of East Harlem children, fielded seven runners who collectively raised more than $54,000.

The kids from Harlem RBI, where Orr has interned since July, gave her lucky red bracelets for motivation. “So they’ll be with me in spirit,” she said, smiling down at her wrists.

Harlem RBI, one of more than 200 charities represented in the marathon, began 20 years ago with volunteers turning an abandoned lot on East 101^st Street into two baseball diamonds for East Harlem kids. Now each year, 1,000 kids play for Harlem RBI teams, join its summer reading program or take SAT prep classes. The organization aims to have participants grow up with the program, joining in kindergarten and continuing through high school.

“Our main goals are to get our kids into college and then for them to have a fulfilling life where they’re stable as adults,” said Harlem RBI spokeswoman Hannah Baek. “In East Harlem, 50 percent of kids drop out of high school, but this past year 100 percent of our seniors graduated from high school. So we’re very proud.”

Orr began training this summer while she was a Harlem RBI intern. She was never really a runner, and “when I first started training in July, I was like ‘no way,’” Orr said.

She tried to keep her expectations reasonable. “My goal is to not faint and just to cross the finish line,” Orr said. “If I finish, I know I’ll want to do marathons all the time.”

Orr did not faint, and finished in four hours, 44 minutes and 17 seconds, raising $2,500 for Harlem RBI.

The program’s success rates and athletic focus attracted runners like Elizabeth Bildner, who felt “a connection to the organization’s commitment to sports and education as a way to teach kids teamwork, perseverance and responsibility both on the field and in the classroom,” Bildner said. Asked to run for Harlem RBI, “I jumped at the chance.”

She raised $5,155 for Harlem RBI, and finished the marathon, her second, in four hours, six minutes and 47 seconds.

Sarah Haga, a Harlem RBI board member for almost three years, began planning to run the marathon in January. “There’s nobody I would want to run for more,” she said. “They garner team spirit, and I feel like a part of a great team.”

Haga also ran the marathon—her first—in celebration of her 50^th birthday on October 26. She finished in four hours, 27 minutes and 22 seconds and raised $6,635 for Harlem RBI.

Among the other RBI runners: Katherine Trahan, 28, competing for the first time this year. Her parents traveled all the way from Austin* to cheer her on as she crossed the finish line in five hours, 48 minutes and 20 seconds, raising $5,592.  And Brandon Abbs, a Bostonian and marathon runner since 2003, whose childhood friend from Harlem got him interested in raising money for the project. Abbs finished in four hours and eight minutes and raised $5,047 for Harlem RBI.

The RBI cadre—and everyone else, including an estimated two million spectators—was in luck. The sun shone through a nearly cloudless blue sky throughout the day and the crowds were enthusiastic. In East Harlem, spectators of all stripes turned out to cheer for the racers.

Paul Riley stood applauding on Fifth Avenue near 127^th Street with his wife and daughter, who was cheering for her schoolteacher.

“It’s a great thing; you have to have strong willpower to run through all the different boroughs,” said Riley, a marathon watcher for 11 years. “I wanted to give my daughter a chance to see that you can basically accomplish anything if you put your mind to it.”

Riley likes the way the marathon unites New Yorkers. “It brings the city together for one day,“ he said.

A small group of traditional African drummers, called a Djembe orchestra, was out playing for marathoners as it has since 2006. Dubaka Leigh, of West African descent, lives on Fifth Avenue and organizes the musicians to play on his front steps.

“We started it for the Africans because they’re always the first ones running through,” Leigh said. “They turn their heads when they hear their drums.”

Adolphus Stewart stood on Fifth Avenue and 125^th Street cheering for no one in particular. He lives nearby and wanted to support the runners who were struggling. As one man limped forward, Stewart started clapping and yelled, “Come on, just four miles to glory! Whatcha gonna say on Monday? Let’s goooo!”

The marathon is one of his favorite New York events. “It’s a really wonderful, beautiful day in Harlem,” he said.

“People all around the world get to see Harlem—not the Harlem from TV, but the real Harlem. People out here are supportive and it’s beautiful,” he said.

He pointed to an open window in a brownstone across the street. “Just now there was a little girl in the window, jumping and all excited. It’s just a really beautiful day.”

See more about Orr and Trahan’s race in an Uptowner slideshow here.

*Correction: Trahan’s parents did not travel from Houston, as originally reported.

Harlem's Crypt Chapel, part of the Church of the Intercession on West 155th Street. (Photo by Paul Smith)

A stone-carved broken hourglass looms above the wooden doors the Rev. José Gándara-Perea, known as Father Berto, unbolts. Wind sends leaves rustling down a flight of steps, into the abyss of Harlem’s Crypt Chapel. Chandeliers illuminate the ceiling’s brickwork in a dim glare. You expect bats, cobwebs and bubbling cauldrons.

The interior of the Crypt Chapel. (Photo by Paul Smith)

“It looks familiar,” whispers a member of Berto’s tour, interrupting an ominous silence.

“Nicolas Cage was in that closet,” replies Berto, Episcopalian minister of the Church of the Intercession, pointing to the boiler room. “Morgana the evil witch came flying down the staircase, and had Merlin killed right there.”

From Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” to “Dracula,” the Crypt Chapel has been host to some of Harlem’s most exotic blood spills. Its gothic architecture and convenient uptown parking access makes for a moviemaker’s dream location. It was the location for Run DMC’s “Down With The King”  music video in 1993. Feist filmed a secret show here earlier this month, squeezing strings, brass, woodwind players and a gaggle of whooping fans into the 100-person-capacity space.

Chandeliers hang from the roof, casting a dark glow. (Photo by Paul Smith)

It wasn’t always so glamorous. Construction on the church’s third location on West 155^th Street began in 1910 and finished four years later.  Trinity Wall Street, an Episcopal church in Lower Manhattan that owned the parish until 1976, built the new church on the condition that it include a mortuary chapel. At the beginning of the 20^th century, Harlem and Washington Heights’ influx of multistory buildings made transporting coffins up and down five floors difficult. Corpses were placed in the crypt overnight and buried in the cemetery the next morning.

Burial niches for cremated remains, dating back to 1920, occupy two walls. (Photo by Paul Smith)

In the 1920s, the church created burial niches for cremated remains. A series of wooden compartments still occupies two walls, the most recent addition from 2007.

Richard Freeman, who’s celebrating his 50^th year as a member of the parish, remembers Sunday School Classes in the crypt in the ’60s, long after it was used as a morgue. “I feel proud that those folks come here,” Freeman says, speaking of its use as a Hollywood location over a worship place. “I have many letters from ‘Law and Order’ thanking us for letting them use it.”

The Church of the Intercession, now independent, is struggling. The collapsing tower roof needs repair and its small congregation is disproportionate to its sprawling building. “To sustain the place is a nightmare,” says Berto.

This Saturday, the church hosts a Halloween Party for children. (Photo by Paul Smith)

Now the Crypt supports the parish. The church splits the door charge with local jazz musicians at monthly sessions. This Saturday, the church is holding a childrens’ Halloween party there. But any opportune trick-or-treaters hoping for a creepy venue for Monday’s festivities should be warned: the Crypt and cemetery are locked at night.

More stories on Halloween uptown:

El Barrio Celebrates Día de los Muertos
Uptown Haunts: Ghost Stories of Inwood and Washington Heights

Members of El Museo del Barrio and neighborhood residents gathered at the northern end of Central Park, in early celebration of Día de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead.” Participants wore traditional clothing, burned incense and played music as their procession wound through the park, ending at El Museo del Barrio.

During the holiday, traditionally observed on the first two days of November,  Mexican families honor their deceased loved-ones.

More stories on Halloween uptown:

Uptown Haunts: Ghost Stories of Inwood and Washington Heights

What Lies Beneath: Harlem’s Crypt Chapel