Africans have arrived with divergent views of the borough and its people. Some were exposed to American movies, which depicted Harlem as a neighborhood rife with crime and chaos. Others consumed Black popular culture or read the words of civil rights leaders. In other words, while some have already internalized negative images of Harlem before they arrived, many others consider it their very own “Black Mecca.” They are attracted not only to its glorious past but also to its Black soul, its blues impulse. Because they are emigrating from African countries, they find that Black neighborhoods imbued with this sensibility can feel like home. Of course, the reality is often quite different, especially when class conflicts and cultural misfires go unresolved.