Walking Tour: Reclaiming Black Spaces

Organized by The Tenement Museum

Explore stories of how Black New Yorkers shaped Lower Manhattan as they made homes, businesses, and communities there over the centuries. On this tour, you’ll discuss how Black New Yorkers experiences were shaped by migration, how communities created a sense of home, and how people resisted the racism they faced. From the story of Sebastiaen de Britto, one of the first Black residents of the area in the 1640s, to Studio We, a musician’s collective in the 1970s, we’ll also look at how stories are preserved or erased over generations.

Among others, stops on this tour include:

• The former downtown New York office of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), who fought for Civil Rights in the 1960s
• The firehouse that was desegregated by Wesley Williams in 1919, who became the FDNY’s first Black lieutenant
• M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden, named in memory of the second 18th-century African American burial ground, located on nearby Chrystie Street

Ticket Link: https://www.tenement.org/tour/w3-reclaiming-black-spaces/?tour_date=2026-05-10