Two Black men, in tuxedos, clasp hands and dance in a smoky foreground in a scene from “Looking for Langston,” the 1989 film that reevaluated gay and lesbian contributions to the Harlem Renaissance.

A map of Manhattan with a boundary drawn around Harlem, just north of Central Park.

A map shows the borders of Harlem, which, south to north, extends from the top of Central Park to the area above 145th Street, and, west to east, from St. Nicholas Park to Fifth Avenue.

A black-and-white photograph of Ma Rainey’s Georgia Jazz Band. Ma Rainey, in a dress and headband, is surrounded by five Black male musicians playing, from left, trombone and trumpet.

A map highlighting various points in Harlem.

A map of Harlem with a location labeled “Ma Rainey at the Lincoln Theater” near 135th Street and Lenox Avenue.

Map with location labeled “Gladys Bentley at the Clam House” near 135th Street.

Map with location labeled “Bessie Smith at Hotel Olga” in the northernmost part of Harlem.

Map with a location labeled “Jimmie Daniels” on 116th Street, and a photograph of Jimmie Daniels Restaurant.

Map with a location labeled “Ethel Waters” near Colonial Park in northwest Harlem, and a photograph of 580 St. Nicholas Avenue, where she lived for a time.

Map with a location labeled “Edna Thomas” in south Harlem, and a photograph of 1890 Seventh Avenue, where she lived.

Map with a location labeled “Georgette Harvey” south of 116th Street.

Map with a location labeled “Alberta Hunter” north of 135th Street, and a photograph of 133 West 138th Street, where she lived.

Patrons of the Savoy Ballroom dancing the Lindy Hop and other dances.

Patrons of the

Map with a location labeled “Hamilton Lodge at Rockland Palace” at the very top of Harlem, and a photograph of 280 West 155th Street, where the venue was located.

Map with a location labeled “Ubangi Club” at 131st Street and Seventh Avenue, and a photograph of the building where the venue was located.

Map with a location labeled “Swing Street” at West 133rd Street, running between Lenox and Seventh Avenue, and a photograph of The Nest, one of the nightlife venues on that block.

Map with a location labeled “The Cotton Club” at 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue, and a photograph of the exterior of the club, with a large marquee and cars in the foreground.

Map with a location labeled “Clam House” at West 133rd Street, near Seventh Avenue, and a photograph of the exterior of the club, with an awning, flanked by two cars.

Map with a location labeled “Savoy Ballroom” on Lenox Avenue, between 140th and 141st Streets, and a photograph of the exterior of the club, with a large marque that reads “SAVOY.” Pedestrians walk in the foreground.

Map with a location labeled “Mount Morris Bathhouse” at 28 East 125th Street, just outside the east parameter of Harlem, and a photograph of the building, with a man crossing the street in the foreground.

Map with a location labeled “Harlem Y.M.C.A.” at 180 West 135th Street, near Seventh Avenue, and an illustration of the building, which rises high above its neighbors.

Map with a location labeled “Hotel Olga” at Lenox Avenue and 145th Street, and a photo of the building.

Map with a location labeled “Lafayette Theater” at 2247 Seventh Avenue, and a photo of the exterior of the theater, with a marquee, arched windows and a sign or flag hanging above them.

Map with a location at the far bottom of the map labeled “Alain Locke,” “Washington D.C.” and an icon pointing down.

Map with a location labeled “Nella Larsen” at 236 West 135th Street, near Eighth Avenue.

Map with a location labeled “Langston Hughes” at 20 East 127th Street, north of Mount Morris Park, just outside the parameters of Harlem.

Map with a location labeled “Countee Cullen” at 104 West 136th Street, near Lenox Avenue.

Map with a location labeled “Richard Bruce Nugent” at 267 West 136th Street, near Eighth Avenue.

Map with a location at the far bottom of the map labeled “Carl Van Vechten,” “150 West 55th Street” and an icon pointing down.

Map with a location labeled “Harold Jackman” at 7 West 134th Street, just outside the east perimeter of Harlem.

Map with a location labeled “Maurice Hunter” at 254 West 135th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

Map with a location labeled “Claude McKay” at 147 West 142nd Street, between Seventh and Lenox Avenues, and a photograph of the exterior of the building.

A photograph of the Alexander Gumby Book Studio, with a semi-circle of people sitting and chatting or reading.

Map with a location labeled “A’Leila Walker and the Dark Tower” at 108 West 136th Street, on the far east side of Harlem, and a photograph of the exterior of the building.

Map with a location labeled “Wallace Thurman” at 267 West 136th Street, near Eighth Avenue, and a photograph of the block, with a car coming toward the camera.

Map with a location labeled “Iolanthe Sydney” at 267 West 136th Street, near Eighth Avenue.

Map with a location labeled “Alexander Gumby Book Studio” at 2144 Fifth Avenue, on the far east side of Harlem.

Map with a location labeled “409 Edgecombe Avenue” at the far north section of Harlem, and a photograph of a cluster of three high-rise buildings.

Harlem in 1938.

The battle over the MCAS ballot question continued to heat up, with a new ad campaign joining the legions flooding televisions and the Boston mayor chiming in with her stance on the issue.

“Massachusetts students attend the best-ranked schools,” argues a new television ad from the opposition group Protect Our Kids’ Future: No on Question 2. “But Question 2 will gut our education system and leave us with lower standards than Mississippi and Alabama.”

The MCAS ballot question would nix the state’s standardized testing graduation requirement for high school students, replacing it with criteria determined by local districts informed by state standards. Students would continue to take the test as an assessment tool.

The No on Question 2 group bought a 30-second and 15-second ad, including a featured parent speaking arguing the effort would “weaken” high standards for her kids.

The latest two ads by supporters of the MCAS graduation requirement follows a similar 30-second ad released in support of the question Tuesday by the Committee for High Standards Not High Stakes, largely led by the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

“We all want to maintain our school’s high standards, and we all agree a single standardized test shouldn’t keep a student from graduating,” state several speakers, including teachers, parents and a pediatrician featured in the ad. “Question 2 replaces the high stakes, high stress MCAS and allows teachers to work with each learner using grades and assessments to measure who’s prepared to succeed after graduation.”

A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released Tuesday showed 58% of surveyed Massachusetts voters said they would vote in favor nixing the MCAS graduation requirement, while 37% said they would vote no.

Both sides have highlighted a range of endorsements in recent weeks.

MCAS supporters touted the endorsement of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts and The Alliance for Business Leadership on Monday. They noted Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, among other state leaders, favor the MCAS requirement.

Meanwhile, those in favor of Question 2 boasted the endorsement of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley the week before, along with a group of local business leaders and State Auditor Diana DiZoglio.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu chimed in on a live WGBH segment Tuesday, saying she is “torn” and will not take a public position on the question.

Wu noted the importance of “high standards and clear standards for our education system” but said “tests should not be used in a high-stakes way, especially in a one-size-fits-all mechanism.” She expressed concern with doing away with the test through this ballot measure, adding that “more nuance or more language” could be worked in through a legislative process.

“There are elements that I think are important around the need to reflect the diversity within our learning communities and the negative consequences that can happen when a one-size-fits-all standard can be applied,” Wu said. “But I’m not comfortable with the alternative that this puts in place in terms of what would replace that to maintain high standards.”

Massachusetts voters will see Question 2 on the ballot for the Nov. 5 general election.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Homeowners flooded Allegheny County Council offices with calls on Wednesday, complaining about a plan for a major property tax hike. Some councilmembers say they just can’t support an increase as large as the county executive wants.

Since the budget announcement Tuesday, county councilmembers say they have gotten an earful from their constituents and say they’ve heard enough: the 46% property tax increase is dead on arrival.

Citing flat revenues, an end to federal COVID aid and rising costs, Innamorato dropped a bomb.

“So, today we are asking for a 2.2 mill increase,” she said. 

Since then, councilmembers have heard howls from their constituents about an unprecedented 46 percent property tax increase.  

“This is just way outside the bounds of what we could potentially take back to the taxpayers,” said Republican Sam DeMarco. 

Counting heads, Council President Pat Catena says there are already enough votes to kill the increase.

“I know Councilmember Futules is against it, I know Councilman Palmosina is against it,” Catena said. 

“We have to go back to the drawing board and see where cuts can be made. It’s that simple,” he added. 

Innamorato said the hike is needed to meet costs and stave off disaster. The surplus is being deleted and costs are rising, especially for health care at the Kane hospitals and the county jail, where total costs have risen more than $20 million.

“And if we keep on the pace we’re on now, we could completely deplete our reserves in two years, which would be catastrophic for our bond rating and leave us in a precarious situation in the case of an emergency,” Innamorato said. 

But councilmembers say she still wants to fulfill a progressive agenda with spending on things like child care, rental assistance, climate change initiatives and housing for those experiencing homelessness. They want her to sharpen her pencil to reduce some of those costs, noting that one of her first actions in office was to raise the wages of county employees to a minimum of $18 an hour.

“Last night we saw where that money is going to come from. She intends to take it from the taxpayers,” DeMarco said. 

Controller Corey O’Connor says the administration needs to do more to produce other revenue by fostering economic development.

“The frustrating part for all of us should be is there’s no vision for growth, development, bringing in jobs. Because all of that, you’re not going to tax your way out of decline,” O’Connor said. 

Over the next few weeks, councilmembers say they’ll be going over this budget with a fine-tooth comb, making all the necessary cuts to bring this tax increase down to size.