This program is part of Village Preservation’s Semiquincentennial series of programs celebrating our Revolutionary Village. The Revolutionary Village not only celebrates the founding of our country, but the exceptional role our neighborhoods played in its development and the realization of its ideals over the last 250 years and beyond.

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.

Amanda Adams-Louis is a Brooklyn-based photographer, teaching artist, and cultural producer creating images, education programs and events that move with the rhythm of culture. She holds a BFA in Photography, with minors Graphic Design & Art History from Pratt Institute; and is an alumna of the Whitney Independent Study Program & TASIS. Her recent exhibition, Shelltoe Systems: Litefeet Culture 2010–2025, is the first photography show to highlight the vibrant, Harlem-born and Uptown-cultivated street dance form known as Litefeet. Amanda is also an educator with Village Preservation and has presented several Village Preservation public programs on Black history and culture.