Real Estate Broker Takes Heat in Changing Harlem

Harlem is undergoing a rapid change in terms of demographics and income levels. One real estate broker is at the front of driving this change, and many in the neighborhood are not happy about it. But is this change avoidable?

2 minute read

July 11, 2008, 6:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"All you need to know about the current backlash against Harlem's gentrification, Suggs says, comes down to the happy campers who bought at the right time and the stupid people who didn't. Those who didn't buy, she says, are just jealous, and Suggs never seems to miss a chance to rub it in-even if they're black."

"But what about the people who would like Harlem to stay mainly black, I ask, even if it wasn't always that way?"

"Suggs shuts her eyes and shakes her head. 'You don't have a God-given right to own your house till the end of time,' she says, 'unless you actually own your house. We're not talking about a country like Italy that's for Italians. We're talking about a neighborhood in the United States of America. There's nothing that says Harlem has to be black!'"

"No part of New York has changed more dramatically during the recent historic real-estate boom than Harlem, and no broker has done more to drive that change than Willie Kathryn Suggs."

"Critics say she has wantonly driven up real-estate prices until no one but the richest Harlemites could afford them and, worse, delivered much of the neighborhood into the hands of wealthy whites. Now every new sale she rings up seems to raise a pair of uncomfortable questions: Should Harlem be preserved forever as an affordable haven for blacks? Or should it be sold to the highest bidder?"

Sunday, July 6, 2008 in New York Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Aerial view of Chicago with river in foreground.

Chicago Approves Green Affordable Housing Plan

The Mayor’s plan calls for creating a nonprofit housing corporation tasked with building affordable housing that meets Green Building standards.

May 8, 2025 - CBS News Chicago

Close-up on e-scooters parked in painted designated parking area on city street.

E-Scooter Parking: A Guide

How smart planning — and ample designated parking — can end conflicts over shared scooters.

May 14 - Streetsblog USA

Aerial view of Bozeman, Montana with mountains in background.

‘It’s Been 50 years’: Public Transit Law Passes in Montana

Legislation would fix transportation district issue, allow for greater reach on city bus routes.

May 14 - Daily Montanan

Illustration of nighttime city with white lines connecting nodes to illustrate technology and connectivity

Top 10 Tech-Ready Cities

An index ranks U.S. cities based on their preparedness for the ‘smart city future.’

May 14 - Smart Cities Dive