Isaac Diggs & Edward Hillel

Sacred Ground: Faith, Gentrification, and the Future of Memory in Harlem

Harlem’s 150-200 mostly Black churches are battling dwindling congregations, shifting demographics, the lure of quick cash from real estate developers and competition from televangelists, as they fight to survive. This same scenario is currently playing itself out in many US cities. As the flight from suburbs and the search for opportunities lure people to the cheaper rents of neglected urban neighborhoods, creating a renewed desire for city living, they are aided by global market forces and surplus cash seeking secure real estate investments. Gentrification and escalating rents are driving out longstanding residents of color, amplifying the stresses on these communities, their homes, churches and livelihoods.

These photographs explore the architectures, interiors, objects and stories of Harlem’s sacred spaces that stand as ghostly heirlooms to a place in rapid transition. In doing so they act as witness and cautionary tale to a larger phenomenon: the fragility of urban black and brown communities, and the disappearance of their collective memory.

Antioch Church of God in Christ #2, 2016