‘The Other Side Of Wall Street’: A Virtual Talk On The African Diaspora In New York

The Downtown Alliance and LMHQ are launching a public programming series all about Lower Manhattan — on its history, current events and the potential of what our future city and neighborhoods could be. 

Kicking off this new collaborative series on Wednesday, September 9, are our neighbors at the Black Gotham Experience with “The Other Side of Wall Street,” a virtual talk that uncovers the largely unknown history of the African Diaspora in New York City, and by extension in Lower Manhattan.

“The Other Side of Wall Street” begins in 1643 with a small town known as Land of the Blacks, the first free Black settlement in New York City. By 1655, the Land of the Blacks was more than twice the size of Soho today, and it continued to exist after the English took the island of Manhattan from the Dutch. Traditionally shared in the form of a walking tour, Black Gotham Experience’s founder and historian Kamau Ware will conduct his tour virtually, from the beginnings of this community to how it continued to exist into the 18th Century, concluding on the first day of British New York in September 1664.

Ware’s immersive storytelling project launched in 2010 to illustrate the often overlooked history of Blacks in New York. Join Ware and LMHQ on Zoom on Wednesday, September 9 at noon to explore the history of our city and how it continues to impact society.

photo: @blackgotham