This Black History Month, Save Harlem Now! invites you to join us for a powerful new program series, The Road to Harlem: The Forgotten History of Black Manhattan—a journey through the deep, often overlooked history of Black life in Manhattan before Harlem.
Long before Harlem, Black New Yorkers were shaping the city’s history, neighborhoods, culture, and institutions. This multi-part series explores that extraordinary story, beginning in 1613 with Juan Rodriguez—the first non-Indigenous person to settle on Manhattan—and continuing through centuries of resilience, community-building, creativity, and struggle.
Together with preservation partners: The Merchant House Museum, Village Preservation, Black in Historic Preservation and Landmark West!, we’ll explore early enslavement in New Amsterdam, the remarkable free Black settlement known as the “Land of the Blacks,” the vibrant communities of Little Africa in Greenwich Village and the Tenderloin’s Black Bohemia in Midtown, and the storied neighborhood of San Juan Hill, lost to urban renewal and the building of Lincoln Center. Along the way, we’ll uncover how these communities laid the groundwork for what would become Harlem.
This series is about rediscovering erased histories, honoring the lives and neighborhoods that came before us, and understanding Harlem not just as a destination—but as part of a much longer road.
We hope you’ll join us virtually this Black History Month on Thursdays at 6:00 PM to learn, reflect, and celebrate this essential New York story.
Thursday, February 5th
The Road to Harlem: Free, “Half-Free,” and Enslaved: Black Life in New Amsterdam
The first enslaved people of African descent to be brought to New Amsterdam were eventually emancipated and granted farmland on and near what is now the Merchant’s House Museum. Join Museum Historian Ann Haddad as she explores the complex story of Black life in the 17th century Dutch settlement, and the free, “half-free,” and enslaved Black people who raised families, established a strong community, and contributed to the development of New York City. Manuel Plaza, adjacent to the Museum, pays tribute to these men and women who settled on what was known as the “Land of the Blacks.”
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bjg5eIJATEyRDgC1j81HaA
Thursday, February 12th
The Road to Harlem: Little Africa: Black Life and Community in the South Village
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Greenwich Village, especially in the South Village, was home to a significant free Black population. In the latter half of the 19th century one of the most notable early settlements was “Little Africa,” centered around present-day Minetta Street and Minetta Lane. This vibrant community included Black-owned businesses, churches, and social institutions. Between the 1880s and early 20th century this was the most important center of Black life in Manhattan before moving uptown. Join Village Preservation educator Amanda Adams-Louis on this fascinating exploration of one of Manhattan's most important, but nearly unknown, historic neighborhoods.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i1ixEcLRSwWXTCTEttrBHA
Thursday, February 19th
The Road to Harlem: Black Bohemia of the Tenderloin
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MrVw9yYGTRa5IP7jhxtDcQ
Thursday, February 26th
The Road to Harlem: The Rise and Fall of San Juan Hill
Between roughly 1900 and 1915, San Juan Hill was the center of Black life in Manhattan. In many ways a cultural and economic precursor to Harlem, residents of San Juan Hill established their own businesses, religious organizations, charitable institutions, and more. Though derided by the city’s white outsiders as a neighborhood blighted by crime, vice, and crumbling infrastructure, those who lived in San Juan Hill continuously labored to create a community dedicated to progress and uplift. This talk will explore the history of the neighborhood, including its eventual destruction under Robert Moses under mid twentieth century urban renewal policies.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_95s90vMATaKPLYIokKLUuA