The African American Day Parade makes its way along Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. on Sunday, marking its 50^th Anniversary. But the parade is about more than a tribute to the contributions and culture of New York’s African American community. It is a celebration of Harlem, the capital, as our guest Yusuf Hasan puts it, of African American life in this city. Mr. Hasan talks about the history of the parade, its importance to the community and why keeping it in Harlem, rather than moving it to Midtown with most of the city’s other parades, matters more than ever as gentrification is rapidly changing the face of the neighborhood. He’ll also talk about this year’s special theme, “Integrity and Transparency”, and why many of this year’s Grand Marshalls come from the world of jurisprudence. Like the Honorable Tanya R. Kennedy, a Justice on New York’s Supreme Court. She has spent her career serving mostly in the civil court system, and she’ll talk about why, as a Harlemite, being chosen as Grand Marshall is such a distinct honor, along with her dedication to teaching children in the community that it is possible to grow up to be, not just a lawyer, but a judge. Gloria Browne-Marshall is an educator who has taught, studied and written about the history of African Americans in the U.S. She’ll talk about the 400^th anniversary of the first slaves arriving in the country, which she sees as 400 years of perseverance, rather than slavery, and why racism, while it’s always been here, is now making a very public resurgence.