
- Events
This event is co-sponsored by First Presbyterian Church and Merchant’s House Museum
Join us for this panel discussion examining First Presbyterian Church’s 2022 report Old First and Slavery.
The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York City, founded in 1716 on Wall Street, moved in 1846 to its current location on Fifth Avenue and 12th Street. Over the congregation’s long history, several accounts of its early period have been written, but none have mentioned the congregation’s intersection with slavery and the slave trade. As several major universities and religious institutions have recently researched their histories related to slavery, a small group of First Church members were inspired to write a report on the congregation’s connection to the institution during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The result is the report, Old First and Slavery. Completed in 2022, it covers the period of the church’s founding through the end of the Civil War. This panel discussion will include members who collaborated on the report and who will present and discuss the archival resources and research methodology used during the drafting process.
Sorrel Ann Alburger is an elder and member of First Presbyterian Church NYC since 2001, Sorrel Ann Alburger holds a masters degree with a specialization in Social Justice and Development from the University of Pennsylvania. As volunteer researcher on denominational and pastoral connections to slavery, Sorrel served as collaborative co-author of the “Old First and Slavery” report. She currently works in non-profit consulting.
Susan Jackson joined First Presbyterian Church in 2000 and serves as an elder working on social justice issues. Her main focus as a volunteer researcher on this Facing Racism project was on slaveholding in the church’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. Susan is the editorial director at Juilliard and holds a bachelor’s degree in American history and a master’s in history of education.
David Pultz is currently adjunct professor of American history at the City College of New York and a PhD candidate in American history at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. David has been a member of New York’s First Presbyterian Church since 1986. He currently serves as volunteer church archivist. During the research and writing phase of the report, Old First and Slavery, David served in an advisory capacity.
Suzanne Howell Mecs is the chair of First Presbyterian Church’s Facing Racism Action Group. She joined the congregation in 1996. Suzanne initiated a request to research church archives regarding the issue of slavery after reading about similar efforts at Harvard, Princeton Theological Seminary, and other institutions. She works for the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter.
- Date
- Wednesday, February 12, 2025
- Time
- 6:00 pm
- Details
In-Person
Pre-registration required
Free