Celebrating Two Heroes of Harlem
This year’s Virtual Harlem 5K Honoring Percy Sutton 100 and Charles Rangel 90 Powered by Strava is a tribute to two legendary Harlem political, social, and cultural leaders who worked tirelessly on behalf of their neighborhood throughout their long and storied careers.
Percy Sutton (1920-2009) was a driving force behind the first five-borough New York City Marathon, in 1976; he's pictured above holding the proclamation of the race as a citywide event. Before then, the race was a small event held entirely in Central Park. Sutton attended in 1975 (below, he crowns the women's champion), saw huge potential, and was a key player in taking the marathon to the streets of all five boroughs the following year.
Sutton was born 100 years ago in San Antonio, TX, the youngest of 15 children. All of the 12 who survived into adulthood earned college degrees, and seven did graduate studies. At age 12, Sutton stowed away on a passenger train to New York City, spending his first night sleeping under a sign on 155th Street. He was later beaten by a police officer for handing out NAACP leaflets, and went on to study at three colleges before serving in World War II with the Tuskegee Airmen.
Sutton attended Columbia Law School and Brooklyn Law School while holding down two jobs. Following a stint in the Air Force during the Korean War, he became a successful and influential civil rights lawyer whose clients included Malcolm X and hundreds of people arrested in protests across the South. In 1965, Sutton was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he became a spokesman for the body’s 13 Black members.
As NYC’s longest-serving Manhattan borough president (1966-1977), Sutton vigorously promoted economic development and tourism in Harlem. In 1974 he co-founded Harlem Day, which grew into Harlem Week, celebrated annually in August. He was a diehard supporter of the New York City Marathon, the running community, and NYRR, and remained so all his life. In 1981, Sutton’s successful Inner City Broadcasting Company bought the Apollo Theater and spearheaded a $20 million renovation of the Harlem landmark.
“He was beloved,” said Keisha Sutton-James, Sutton’s granddaughter. “The community understood that he was a man of integrity, and that his commitment was to our community.” She can share countless stories about how her grandfather would make time for everyone and open his wallet or Rolodex to those in need.
“He was drawn to excellence,” she continued. “He was reared in this family of excellent people who instilled the necessity of excellence. Harlem had a legacy before he came to it. We Black folks, as a community, needed help and focus. He was proud to embrace this. He was proud to be a part of Harlem’s legacy and history.”
Charles Rangel (pictured below), who represented Harlem in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 2017, turned 90 this year. Rangel, Sutton, the late State Senator Basil Paterson, and New York City Mayor David Dinkins, made up a powerful political coalition known as the “Gang of Four.” A native of Harlem, he earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his service in Korea and graduated from St. John’s University with a law degree in 1960. In 1966, Rangel won a seat in the New York State Assembly, and in 1970, he unseated U.S. Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. to begin his remarkable career in Congress.
In 1971, Rangel co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus. He became the first Black member of the Ways and Means Committee in 1975, and in 2007 he became the panel’s first Black chair. In 1986, Rangel helped to create affordable housing throughout the United States by authoring the Low Income Housing Tax Credit in the Tax Reform Act. In 1993, he authored a tax bill that promoted job creation and investment in inner-city areas known as “empowerment zones.”
Rangel’s name is also familiar to runners, as The Armory in Manhattan is home to the Charles Rangel Technology & Learning Center, which offers computer-based literacy programs for children and skills training for older students and adults.
“If you really want to get the energy of Charlie Rangel, just walk down the streets of Harlem with him,” said Lloyd Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. “He cannot take five steps without somebody stopping him or saying, 'Charlie!" or ‘Proud of you!’ or ‘Can I get a picture with you?’”
Williams has been close friends with Rangel for decades, and he knows why Rangel is so beloved by his neighbors. “People believe he's their own,” Williams said. “That's my congressman. That's my friend. They'll come up and tell him something that he or his staff did to help or assist them. Being with Charlie Rangel anywhere in the world, but especially in Harlem, is like being with a rock star.”
You can sign up for the Virtual Harlem 5K Honoring Percy Sutton 100 and Charles Rangel 90 and run or walk 5K (3.1 miles) anytime, anywhere from August 16 to 23, to honor Sutton’s and Rangel’s achievements and virtually celebrate Harlem’s beauty, diversity, and history.
Going forward, the Harlem 5K will honor a different person or group each year. Thanks to leaders like Sutton and Rangel paving the way, there’s no shortage of heroes in Harlem.