Summer 2026
Pull Back the Curtain: The Show Is Just Getting Started
Hello Beautiful People,
If you’ve been following this journey for a while, you already know, I have a habit of falling down rabbit holes.
One newspaper clipping becomes fifty.
One photograph leads to another city.
One forgotten performer refuses to leave my mind until I learn her story.
That’s how The Harlem in Havana Project was born.
What started as a search for my grandfather, Leon Claxton, became something much bigger. It became a mission to recover an entire world of Black and Cuban performers whose artistry, glamour, and brilliance helped shape American entertainment but somehow slipped through the cracks of history.
For years, this work happened quietly.
In archives.
Libraries.
Boxes of photographs.
Late nights.
Coffee. A lot of coffee.
Then, something shifted.
The first half of 2026 felt like watching decades of research step out from behind the curtain and into the spotlight.
Here’s what we’ve been up to…
Washington, D.C. — Brown Skin Showgirls® Takes the Stage
Black History Month kicked off with one of the proudest moments.
Brown Skin Showgirls: Leon Claxton’s Harlem in Havana (1930s–1960s) premiered at Dupont Underground in Washington, D.C., as part of the exhibition Everybody Wants to Be a Showgirl.
This exhibit was a public debut of my new Brown Skin Showgirls Traveling Exhibition. Visitors stepped into a world of glamorous Black and Cuban showgirls through rare photographs, archival film and couture doll recreations inspired by original costumes.
Watching people slow down…smile…point at photographs…and ask questions reminded me why this work matters.
These women weren’t forgotten because they lacked talent. They were forgotten because history didn’t always make room for them.
But, we’re changing that. The exhibition opened with an artist talk, live burlesque performances, and an exhibition walkthrough that felt more like a celebration than an opening reception.
Exactly as it should.
Tampa Gives My Grandfather His Flowers
A few weeks later, another unforgettable moment.
On February 23, the City of Tampa unveiled a permanent historical marker honoring the Claxton Manor Motel, founded by my grandfather, Leon Claxton, as part of Tampa’s Soulwalk Black History Trail.
Hearing the news, I wasn’t thinking about research. I was thinking about family. About dreams. About what it meant for Black entrepreneurs to build spaces of safety, dignity, and opportunity during segregation.
History has a funny way of circling back.
Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it stands on a street corner and says, “We’re finally ready to remember.”
Learn more about the historical marker.
Harlem in Havana Lights Up New York City
Then came…
New York.
What a day.
On May 9, Harlem in Havana NYC took over two iconic stages for a one-day celebration of film, performance, and living history.
The day began at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts with the New York premiere of JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton’s Harlem in Havana.
Watching audiences laugh, cry, and discover this story for the first time reminded me why I make films.
Afterward, we gathered for an artist talk, followed by a beautiful performance from the incredible burlesque historian, Bebe Bardeaux.
Then we headed to Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium. And that’s when the party really started.
Brown Skin Showgirls: A Harlem in Havana Tribute Show filled the stage with music, dance, burlesque, glamour, and pure joy.
For one unforgettable evening, Harlem in Havana wasn’t tucked away inside an archive.
She put on her lashes.
Stepped into sequins.
Walked into the spotlight.
And reminded everyone she still knows how to bring down the house.
Learn about Harlem in Havana NYC.
When the Jazz World Came Calling
One morning I opened my email and discovered Harlem in Havana had been featured in All About Jazz.
For years these stories lived quietly inside forgotten newspaper clippings and dusty archives.
Now one of the world’s leading jazz publications was recognizing Leon Claxton’s influence on American music history.
That moment belonged to every performer who spent decades crossing this country, making audiences laugh, dance, and dream.
Another piece of history finds its way home.
Writing Between the Glitter
This summer I published one of the most personal essays I’ve ever written: What the Archives Didn’t Keep: Who Gets Remembered in American Culture and Who Gets Lost in Motion.
People often imagine archives as silent places.
I don’t.
I hear orchestras tuning.
High heels backstage.
Train whistles.
Dancers laughing.
Suitcases closing.
Crowds applauding.
Archives aren’t quiet.
They’re waiting.
And every time I write, I feel like I’m introducing people who have been patiently waiting for someone to remember their names.
® A Tiny Symbol That Means Everything
Harlem in Havana® is officially a registered trademark , a milestone that made me smile more than I expected.
That little ® carries years of research, filmmaking, exhibitions, photographs, books, conversations, and belief.
It protects this growing body of work.
More importantly…
It protects the legacy.
So…What’s Next?
I’m just getting started.
Right now I’m developing Harlem in Havana® as a dramatic screenplay series.
Some stories simply couldn’t fit inside one documentary.
This next chapter will let us spend more time with these unforgettable characters, their families, their triumphs, their heartbreaks, and the extraordinary world they created.
I’m also developing a podcast built around the thousands of newspaper stories I’ve collected over the years.
The Brown Skin Showgirls Traveling Exhibition continues.
More screenings. More art talks. More discoveries. More surprises.
And yes… A little more glitter.
Thank You
If you’ve donated to the project…
Attended a screening…
Visited an exhibition…
Read an essay…
Shared a post…
Bought a book…
Sent an encouraging email…
Or simply told a friend about Harlem in Havana….
Thank you!
Truly.
You’re helping restore a chapter of history that almost disappeared. So, thank you for pulling back the curtain with me.
The lights are dimming.
The orchestra is warming up.
The costumes are sparkling.
And trust me… The show is just getting started.
With love,
Leslie Cunningham ( Filmmaker, Cultural Storyteller, Founder of Harlem in Havana®)
Harlem in Havana® 