In honor of Black History Month, New York Law School highlights the Black heritage embedded in our beloved neighborhood. In Lower Manhattan, a history that includes a powerful legacy of Black resilience, leadership, activism, and scholarship is never far from view. History is a critical tool for understanding the present day and how to use law and policy to create a future where justice and equality exist for all people.
Freedom’s Journal
Tribeca was the site of one of the most significant milestones in American journalism. In 1827, Freedom’s Journal, the first newspaper in the United States published by and for African Americans, was founded to provide a voice against racism and intolerance and to advocate for equality. Historical sources place its offices at 236 Church Street—which today is the site of NYLS’s 57 Worth Street building.
The Underground Railroad and First African American-Owned Bookstore
At 36 Lispenard Street stood the home of abolitionist David Ruggles, one of New York City’s most active Underground Railroad conductors. From this Tribeca location, Ruggles helped hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom, including Frederick Douglass. Ruggles also opened the first African American-owned bookstore in the country, located on Lispenard Street near a 19th-century square known as St. John’s Park.
The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building
The nearby New York City Municipal Building is layered with African American history. In October 2015, the building was renamed to honor New York City’s first Black mayor, David N. Dinkins, whose career reflected a lifelong commitment to civil rights and public service. Nearby in Foley Square, the sculpture Triumph of the Human Spirit commemorates the fight against slavery and the resilience of Black people in New York.
The African Burial Ground National Monument
About two blocks from campus, at the heart of Lower Manhattan, stands the African Burial Ground National Monument—marking the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. Dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, the Burial Ground serves as both a place of remembrance and an active site of historical scholarship and education.
Mother African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church
At the corner of Leonard and Church Streets, a plaque commemorates the first location of the Mother AME Zion Church, New York City’s oldest Black congregation. Founded in 1796, the church built its first permanent structure in 1800 and remained in present-day Tribeca until 1864. During that time, it became a hub of abolitionist activism. Prominent historical figures such as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth frequently preached at the church, which was active in the Underground Railroad network. Truth herself was a resident of Lower Manhattan, residing at 74 Canal Street.
The NYC Freedom Trail
The self-guided NYC Freedom Trail weaves many historical sites together into a powerful walking journey through Lower Manhattan. Stops include the original Abyssinian Baptist Church on Wall Street, the Hudson River pier where Frederick Douglass first arrived in New York, the site of the Wall Street Slave Market, and the 1741 execution sites.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we recognize that these nearby sites are more than landmarks—they represent powerful stories that inform and inspire our work. From the presses of Freedom’s Journal to abolitionist organizing in Tribeca gathering spaces, the story of NYLS’s neighborhood is inseparable from the story of Black leadership, justice-seeking, and achievement.