Session 2 – Arts, Culture, and Activism of Black Communities
1776 – 1870

Join Village Preservation for the return of our popular Black History in Greenwich Village Series. First developed as a part of our renowned, first-of-its-kind children’s education programs, it was so popular that we have now developed an adult version of this program to share with our entire community. Now updated with new and additional content we welcome the general public, teachers, students, and everyone interested to join us for this exciting 4-part series.

Session 2 of Village Preservation’s series, Black History in Greenwich Village, will explore the political, social, and economic forces that enabled and ended the institution of slavery in New York City between 1790 and 1827 (the emancipation year for New York State).

The civil rights movement began on plantations, has been fought since before the Civil War, and did not end when slavery was abolished.

We’ll reflect on questions like “what is an artist?” and “what is an activist?” through the lens of the experience of Africans and Black Americans in Greenwich Village, New York City, and America. Art and activism are often intertwined and this is especially so in Greenwich Village. We’ll learn about the African Grove Theatre, a Black owned and operated theater on the corner of Bleecker and Mercer Streets that presented productions with a black cast. Co-founded by James Hewlett, who was also a principal actor, this theater and company was not the first attempt to create a Black theater within New York City at this time. However, based in Greenwich Village, Grove is remembered as the most financially successful.

Art often has sub-currents of dissent and reflect current political movements. This session will tie together these historic fights for human rights and justice with the artistic practices of Africans and Black Americans in Greenwich Village and beyond.

Each of these free sessions will be held via zoom and requires pre-registration. Check out the individual sessions for additional details about the content covered at each webinar. For this special series, we ask that registrants be present to participate. A recording of these sessions WILL NOT be shared with registrants nor the public after the session is held.

This four session series explores the history of the black presence in the Greenwich Village area of New York City from 1600-2020. Join Village Preservation as we outline the history of African presence in Lower Manhattan.

• Register for February 5th: Session 1 – The Geography and History of Early Manhattan 1600 – 1776