The Women of Harlem Heights

Words by
DeWayne Rogers
Images by James Weber For Steed
Media Service
Styling by Clifford Wray

The winds of change are altering the landscape of America as we know it. But
unlike past meteorological events, which took centuries to carefully form creations
as wondrous as the storied Grand Canyon, this current gale seeks to bring forth a
metamorphosis within a single generation.

Stirred by the passions of a generation led by a dearly departed Baptist preacher from
Georgia, this current wind’s gusts are urged on by the call of another gifted orator — one
who now occupies the highest office in the land. And much like Dr. King before him,
President Barack Obama is equipped with a coalition of youthful aspirants, all filled to the
brim with a desire to positively impact the world through the power of their thoughts, words
and deeds.

Count the cast of BET’s latest reality show “Harlem Heights” among that coalition.
Portraying an alternative to the incessant flood of miscreants that frequent our airwaves on
a nightly basis, this inspiring group of 20-somethings casts a light on a subsection of the
black community now ready to stand up and lead by example. When rolling out caught up
with the women of the show — Bridget, Ashlie, Briana and Brooke — we found four poised,
beautiful women who were ready to take America by storm.

Let’s meet the ladies.
Literally the voice of the show, Bridget is on a mission to fight back. Her mission isn’t
one of personal vindication though, but one to reclaim the voice of black America. As a
writer for MTV, Bridget witnessed firsthand the perilous direction our culture was heading
in, and found “Harlem Heights” to be the perfect outlet to counterbalance that trend.

“The main reason I wanted to be on this show is because I worked for MTV for four
years as a writer and was responsible for all the urban programming,” she explains. “What
I found was there were no images on TV that positively impacted or portrayed the types
of black people I know. This show is different because even though you might see some
cattiness or us partying, you will also see positive images like Jason, who is a single father
raising his child; or myself, who is in law school and working full time and mentoring. So
this show is providing a positive voice that people can relate to.”

Bridget’s hesitance to expose her life to the world was trumped by the comfort of knowing
that she shared an honest portrayal of herself with America. “I wasn’t ashamed at all during
the taping,” she confesses. “I can lay back and watch because there’s nothing that I did on
the show that would embarrass me. Of course, I’m human and there will be times that I’m
not as poised and put together completely, but overall I think everyone’s image is positive. I
just hope that by sharing our lives, someone who might be going through a similar situation
might be able to relate or [we] might even be able to help them in some small way.”

Don’t let the sweet smile lull you into thinking that Ashlie isn’t a strong, bold and
confident woman intently focused on accomplishing her dreams. The aspiring actor of
the group, the New Jersey native says this road less traveled is filled with opportunities to
inspire others.

“I wanted to put myself out there and be on this show, because I wanted to be a role
model for those up-and-coming people who were also trying to make it as an actor in New
York,” she warmly shares. “Now that the show has aired, I’ve had everyone from kids to
adults come up to me and ask me for advice about the industry. That right there showed me
that my journey is not just about me. We all go through things and need encouragement,
so that’s why it was so important for me to put my story out there.”

Her decision to open her life to the world was a blessing because it forced Ashlie to
grow as a person. “It was [meant] for me to do this show,” she says. “Not only did it help
me get on my grind, but it’s made me get to know myself better, and it’s helped me get to
know my strengths and weaknesses better. I understand that I am a very hard worker, but
at the same time, I can be a procrastinator. But now with the pursuit of this career, I can’t
put things off anymore. You have to live for today and just do it, so that’s what my mind
has been focused on.”

The journey for Brooke has been a complicated one to say the least. As a producer at
MTV, her impressive climb up the corporate ladder is a story that should be shared with
young girls searching for inspiration to follow their dreams. Sadly, our first encounter with
Brooke had nothing to do with her résumé, and everything to do with her failed relationship
with Kanye West. As the rumor mill cranked up, the Baltimore native was left to pick up the
pieces of an unfairly shattered reputation.

Enter “Harlem Heights.”

“I’m glad I got the opportunity to do this show,” Brooke says, exuding a quiet confidence
with each word uttered. “At first, my decision to do the pilot for ‘Harlem Heights’ was
actually me doing a favor for the creators of the show who are friends of mine. They wanted
to do a pilot and shop the idea to a couple of networks, and they wanted me to be a part
of that. On top of that, I did have a story to tell at the time, so the opportunity to be on
‘Harlem Heights’ was twofold: I got to help out some friends, and I also got a chance to
give people a glimpse into my life.”

As Brooke reflects back on the experience of doing the show, she smiles as she
acknowledges that she ultimately achieved what she set out to accomplish. “For a lot of
people on the show, this is the first time that you are seeing a lot of those faces, but for me
it was sort of a reintroduction,” she shares. “I just wanted to [start with] a clean slate, and
let people really see what I’m about. So my story now is one of change and redemption.
When people first saw me, I really had no control over what they saw. But now people
have the facts, they see me for who I really am, and they can do what they want with that
information.”

Take one look at Briana, and hard work and diligence are the first words that come
to mind … she just looks like she’s handling business. So when the blossoming designer
came to Harlem to follow her dreams, she was propelled not only by ambition, but also
by a desire to challenge a Southern culture that wasn’t always supportive of ambitious
women of color.

“I grew up in Texas in a predominantly white, upper-class school and the teachers
weren’t too supportive of me,” she reveals. “But I’ve learned that all you have to do is work
hard and grind it out. You don’t need anyone to do it for you. I hope this show will show
black America that … there are other things and avenues that we can pursue as young
blacks … outside of [athletics], politics and [rapping].”

While the allure of the lights has certainly been a perk of the show, Briana hasn’t
allowed her mind to stray too far from the task of accomplishing her dreams. “It’s been a
long process trying to get things just right, but I’m happy with the progress,” she shares
while updating ro on her burgeoning designer handbag line. “All the work that I’ve done
on this line, and for it to now be available nationally is great. I’m just fortunate to be in this
position, but I can’t stop working now. The hard work is just beginning.”

The Future is Now
So what does the future hold for this talented foursome? Well, there appears to be no
ceiling. Their only hope now is that the public continues to show up and watch them on
BET, and in return, the cast promises to show up and continue being the positive role
models that we desperately need.