Presented by Save Harlem Now!
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. 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.