Crystal, a Harlem resident who asked to be identified only by her first name, first noticed that school quality varied throughout her neighborhood when she was a middle schooler. After becoming an educator at a charter school in Brooklyn, she became more aware of the disparities between schools, from the beauty of the facades to the content of the curricula.

As West Harlem residents continue to call for more affordable housing amid the presence of gentrification, housing advocates face another fight: Housing Development Fund Corporation cooperatives, which allow for affordable homeownership, are foreclosing rapidly.