Meet Ashley
Ashley has lived her entire life in Harlem, “I grew up on 138th and 8th Avenue, so… once you cross the street, you're on Strivers' Row… We were the kids that played outside until the street light came on and your mother called you out the window… We played Hot Peas and Butter… Steal the Bacon… Playing double dutch and… just being a tomboy, flipping over the scaffolding, like doing things we didn't have no business doing.” She recalls, “Going to the fish market on 140th and 7th. That's no longer there. Eating crabs outside, playing double dutch.” But her favorite place growing up was 125th street, “I remember when Mart 125 was open, I got my ears pierced there. Like, when Rainbow Records was on 125th street, the Disney store… Like, all of these stores that these kids don't have no idea about… 125th was… the place to go. You shopped there, you went to movies there, you did everything there.”
The arts and service have always been a large part of her life. Her family is very artistic with everyone knowing how to play an instrument. She was very active during her school career, learning how to play violin, being a member of the percussion ensemble and step team, and being involved in other after school programs and community organizations, “That was… a staple in… my growth and development as a person.” She remembers her music teacher, Ms. Devia Rainey, who exposed her to different instruments and new experiences that contributed to her finding her joy in performing and the arts.
“We were the kids that played outside until the street light came on and your mother called you out the window… We played Hot Peas and Butter… Steal the Bacon… Playing double dutch and… just being a tomboy, flipping over the scaffolding, like doing things we didn’t have no business doing.”
When she was 16, Ashley joined Impact Repertory Theater, “It's a community based organization founded by Jamal Joseph. He's a Black Panther. It's been around for a long time, since 1997… I then went to join Phoenix sorority… based out of Minisink… It's a theater arts program also incorporating activism. So we have coined the phrase 'artivism'. We've done a lot of things in regards to community service, as well as performance, because that's our staple.” Through Impact Repertory Theater she was able to experience singing with major figures like Anita Baker, Patti Labelle, and Nile Rogers and give back to the community through partnering with other organizations, handing out turkeys on Thanksgiving, and packaging toys for Christmas. “Just the service and the arts really just tie into everything that I do…” She recently crossed Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Inspired by the women in her life that were Deltas themselves, she looks forward to continuing to serve the Harlem community.
She is also raising her two children to have the same pride in Harlem as she does. They were also part of Impact, getting to have similar experiences performing with legends in music. They are also involved in the arts with P.U.S.H. Dance Company. “When people ask them where they’re from, they say ‘Harlem’ with that pride and love… We were born in Harlem Hospital. I was. My kids were like, you can't get no more Harlem than that.... They've experienced Harlem Week at its finest. We've gone through the pandemic, where we've seen Harlem go virtual for a couple of years, and now we're back. And… they get to have those experiences. They get to be in these spaces... And because of the reputation that I have, it's like, 'Oh, those are Ashley's kids… They're welcome here.' They don't go anywhere in Harlem with any fear… So I love that because that's how I walk around… Like, I'm safe anywhere I go.”
Harlem has also influenced the way she looks at her own art with her photography business, Isler Inc Photography, “I'm more of a candid shooter… My slogan is 'Capturing the beauty in every moment.' And I truly believe that, because again, once the moment is gone, you can't get it back… The essence of the emotions, everything. But that's something that I learned being in Harlem… My mom, she's not a professional photographer, but [she] literally had a Polaroid disposable camera everywhere we went. For every event, we had to stop in the store and get a Kodak… and we were… developing pictures every week. And that kind of… started my love for… just taking pictures and capturing those moments.” Ashley recently celebrated 7 years of Isler Inc Photography, “I've had a great amount of experience and opportunity again with the Harlem Chamber of Commerce, with Harlem Week, Harlem Arts Alliance, New Heritage Theater, Impact Repertory Theater… I remember when I first started shooting and… shooting A Great Day in Harlem. I was like, ‘I am a small fish in this big pond of… sharks’ ...But over the years, I learned very quickly… you gotta be aggressive, and you gotta do what you gotta do to get your shot.”
Remarking on her personal journey through Harlem, she says, “I've had a beautiful time… I've made some beautiful connections… I've always… been welcomed with open arms and extend that same love in return.” She wants other people to see the beauty in the community as well and to get involved how they can whether through joining a community board or mentoring youth. Harlem is a throughline in her life, “It's big. It's the staple. I mean, I got Harlem tattooed on me. It's home… and I have… such a love and a pride for Harlem that even with all the changes, you can't take it away... I think that when all is said and done… Harlem is always gonna be home for me. Harlem is always gonna be one of the things that I proudly represent, I proudly speak about...”