Presented by Save Harlem Now!
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.” Click here to register.
This Black History Month, Save Harlem Now! presents 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!, SHN! will 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.
Join them virtually this Black History Month on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. to learn, reflect, and celebrate this essential New York story.