You might not know it traversing the towers and winding streets that make up Lower Manhattan, but the milieu between Canal Street and Bowling Green was once a locale for subversive, abolitionist organizing against slavery before the U.S. Civil War. At 5 Broad Street, the basement of Downing’s Oyster House served as an important node on the Underground Railroad, and so did 330 Pearl Street, Shiloh Presbyterian Church at Frankfort and William Streets, and The Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church formerly at 158 Church Street.
Recent legislation (Int. 471-A) approved by the New York City Council sets out to tell this important, albeit under-told story. On September 12, New York City Council Members voted unanimously to establish a task force whose goal is to create a citywide New York City Freedom Trail and a Lower Manhattan Freedom Trail. This task force will include elected officials, scholars, and representatives from relevant organizations.
Council Members Christopher Marte (District 1) and Dr. Nantasha Williams (District 27) shepherded the legislation. The Freedom Trails will consist of walkable tours which mark historical sites in New York on the Underground Railroad, and sites associated with the abolitionist movement more broadly.
Joy L. Bivins, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, an organ of the New York Public Library, described the forthcoming trails as “a path knitting together some of our city’s renowned historic sites during the abolitionist movement [that] will be a valuable learning tool for New Yorkers and visitors.”
“Lower Manhattan is home to some of the most significant sites in the fight for freedom, yet much of this history has remained hidden or under-recognized for too long. From the African Burial Ground to sites where abolitionists worked and lived, our district has a deep connection to the struggles for liberty and justice,” Marte said in a statement.
“The task force created by Int 471-A will identify and commemorate locations significant to the history of African American liberation and the fight for civil rights in our city,” Williams added. “By creating a Freedom Trail, we honor the courage and resilience of those who came before us and educate future generations about the pivotal role New York City played in the struggle for freedom and justice.”
After the task force is established, it will be required to conduct at least two public meetings. It will have to submit a report of its recommendations to the New York Mayor and Speaker of the Council no more than one year after its first meeting.