East Harlem.Com

East Harlem Online received a beautiful visit from two southerners, Russell and Cheryl Sharman. The Sharmans are looking to relocate to New York City and one of the first places they checked for information was this web site.

The Sharmans arranged to meet with East Harlem Online founder, Jose B. Rivera at his apartment. The Sharmans it turns out are originally from the great state of Texas. They lived in Oxford, England while Russell completed his Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology. They also lived in Costa Rica for a year (this is where they picked up their Spanish skills). Cheryl wrote for an English newspaper and hopes to continue writing while in our community.

After meeting the Rivera family and a brief exchange of histories, Jose and the Sharmans went out to see East Harlem. The first thing the Russell and his lovely wife Cheryl wanted to see was some of James De La Vega’s art. They visited De La Vega art on East 111th Street and Lexington Avenue, on 110th and Lexington, on 104th and on 103rd streets. They also saw the Hope Community, Inc. wall, restored by Manny Vega on the corner of East 104th and Lexington Avenue, and Graffiti Wall of Fame on 106th Street and Park Avenue. An attempt was made to visit Mr. De La Vega at his 103rd Street office, but (we later found out) he was busy being interviewed for a New York One (local cable news channel) piece featuring him as the New Yorker of the Week. Congrats to Mr. De La Vega.

After all that walking, the Sharmans and Mr. Rivera decided to take in some food. So they went to the Caribbean restaurant located on East 105th Street and Lexington Avenue. Where they meet up with no other than Willie Soto, a veteran of the war on Poverty and staunch defender of Puerto Rican rights. Mr. Soto questioned the couple and left. He wished them luck and offered them assistance in locating an apartment in our community. The meal was excellent (we had Cuban sandwiches) and the Sharmans went home for the day (they are staying with friends until they find a place in our community).
Russell and Cheryl Sharman would like to live in East Harlem. They have a particular dream. They are a Christian couple and their dream is to help house artists. In housing the artist they hope to free them from the worry of finding and paying for housing, and allow the artist to do their art. In return, these “housed” artists would give of their time to community residents who wish to learn more about art and how to do it. To accomplish their dream, the Sharmans need to purchase a building in which to house the artist. They admit it is a bit of a stretch as they can not currently purchase a building outright. But they have a deep abiding faith in God, whom they feel has given them this vision. Nothing is impossible, especially with faith. East Harlem Online welcomes the Sharmans to our community and wishes them well in their dream to house artists. If you can help the Sharmans find an apartment or obtain a building, send e-mail and East Harlem Online can arrange a meeting with them.