Operation Sisterhood

Bo’s new family lives in a brownstone in Harlem, and this location is important to the book’s context and themes. Bo and her new, blended family are African American, and they live in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Harlem, because of its history and culture, is essential to the sense of community and identity that Bo and the rest of the Dwyer-Saunders family experience.

Harlem was originally constructed as an upper-class white neighborhood in the 1880s. This is why, as compared to Bo and Lola’s tiny, old apartment, the Dwyer-Saunders family lives in a huge brownstone, which can house their entire family and all its pets. However, the neighborhood of Harlem was overdeveloped rapidly, leaving a large number of empty buildings and desperate landlords. A few middle-class Black families moved into the area, triggering an influx of Black residents as the Great Migration of African Americans accelerated in the early 1900s. Several factors, including natural disasters, Jim Crow laws, and the First World War prompted many Black people to move from the rural South to the urban North. The predominance of Black families in Harlem made the neighborhood the preferred place for other new Black families to settle (“Harlem Renaissance.” History, 29 Oct. 2009).

The large Black population in Harlem in the early decades of the 20th century led to the Harlem Renaissance, “a blossoming (c. 1918-37) of African American culture, particularly in the creative arts” (Hutchinson, George. “Harlem Renaissance | Definition, Artists, & Time Period.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 13 Dec. 2018). There was a boom in music, art, and literature, particularly among African American artists. The sense of pride the Harlem Renaissance gave the African American community in their culture and identity helped set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement in later years (“Harlem Renaissance.” History, 29 Oct. 2009).

Although the neighborhood went through a quiet period for some decades in between, the 21st century has seen renewed cultural activity (“Harlem’s Renaissance: How Art, Food and History Are Shaping Its Latest Evolution.” The Guardian, 9 May 2018), and Harlem is known world over for its food, music, and civil rights history (“Why Harlem Is New York’s Most Culturally Rich Neighbourhood.” Travel, 24 Sept. 2022). This is reflected across Operation Sisterhood in multiple instances.

Food, for instance, is an important part of the story, especially in the context of community. Bo shares her knowledge of her favorite food spots in Harlem with her sister, as they picnic together. The girls get Ms. Tyler to warm up to them by offering her freshly made food from her culture; and food is an important part of the block party, enticing the neighborhood to participate. Similarly, music is an integral part of the story. Besides each of the girls being musical themselves, they draw inspiration from a historical Harlem musician, Louis Armstrong, when they put together their band (“Harlem Renaissance.” History, 29 Oct. 2009). Music is a big part of the block party’s attraction, too.

Because of its well-constructed brownstones and boulevards, Harlem has seen its property values increase exponentially in contemporary times, leaving its residents wondering about the neighborhood’s future (“Harlem’s Renaissance: How Art, Food and History Are Shaping Its Latest Evolution.” The Guardian, 9 May 2018). Rhuday-Perkovich subtly captures some of these concerns in the animal shelter’s financial worries, Bill’s underperforming bookstore, and even a developer’s unsuccessful attempt to take over the community garden space.

However, Harlem still retains a unique identity as a neighborhood because of its roots in Black culture. A 2018 Guardian article quotes Nico Wheadon, a writer and arts consultant then working in Harlem, reflecting on how “blackness” is “celebration” to her: “I can’t walk to or from work [in Harlem] without being swept up in somebody’s something” (“Harlem’s Renaissance: How Art, Food and History Are Shaping Its Latest Evolution.” The Guardian, 9 May 2018). This same spirit is seen in multiple instances in the book, beginning with Sunday’s insistence that the family must have a party even when times are hard, and culminating in a block party that sees the neighborhood come alive in togetherness and celebration.