NYC Landmarks Highlight Black History and Culture

New York City is one of the nation’s oldest and most prominent destinations for Black history and culture. Across the five boroughs, African American landmarks honor the stories of a people whose contributions to the five boroughs date back hundreds of years.

Visit these institutions online or, where possible, in person for insight into Black history, art and music.

The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, located at 120 E. 125th St., Harlem, Manhattan, is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to presenting and preserving the diverse cultures of the global African diaspora. The center carries out its mission through public art exhibitions, performances, educational programs, workshops, conferences and international exchanges. Their landmarked building has three art galleries and puts on vibrant programming year-round. Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One and Oshun are among the artists who have been featured here.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum, at 34-56 107th St., Corona, Queens, is a historic site and interactive museum honoring the legacy of Louis Armstrong, who resided there with his wife, Lucille, from 1943. Visitors can enjoy virtual programs and exhibits like Cultural After School Adventure. A new cultural center is due to open across the street in spring 2022.

The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial & Educational Center, located at 3940 Broadway, Washington Heights, Manhattan, is dedicated to the legacy of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz. The building was once the Audubon Ballroom, a theater, dance hall and weekly meeting locale for the Organization of Afro-American Unity. It was also the site of Malcolm X’s assassination in 1965.

Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA), at 80 Hanson Pl., Fort Greene, Brooklyn, honors the African diaspora through visual and performing arts. The creative space showcases influential works from artists like Jamel Shabazz and Wangechi Mutu.

The Sandy Ground Historical Society Museum, at 1538 Woodrow Rd., Rossville, Staten Island, preserves the history of Sandy Ground, the oldest occupied African American settlement in the country, founded in the early 19th century by free Blacks.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, located at 515 Malcolm X Blvd., Harlem, Manhattan, preserves and protects narratives from the Black experience.

Weeksville Heritage Center, at 158 Buffalo Ave., Weeksville, Brooklyn, reimagines what life looked like for free Blacks in Brooklyn before the Civil War. Founded in 1838, Weeksville was one of the first free Black communities in America.

The African Burial Ground National Monument, at 290 Broadway, Lower Manhattan, acknowledges the role slavery played in building New York City. The six-acre memorial is the largest unearthed burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved African descendants.

The Audre Lorde Residence, at 207 St. Paul’s Ave., Tompkinsville, Staten Island, was the home of feminist, poet and activist Audre Lorde from 1972 to 1987.

The New York Amsterdam News, at 2340 Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, Manhattan, is New York City’s largest weekly Black-owned newspaper, founded in 1909.

The Frederick Douglass Memorial, at W. 110th St. & Central Park West, Harlem, honors the legacy of Frederick Douglass.

The Hunts Point Slave Burial Ground, in Oak Point Ave. (bet. Hunts Point Ave. and Longfellow Ave.), the Bronx, was discovered in 2014 and is believed to contain the remains of 10 to 40 enslaved African descendants.

The Langston Hughes House, at 20 E. 127th St., Harlem, Manhattan, was the residence of author, poet and activist Langston Hughes for 20 years.

Marsha P. Johnson State Park, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is dedicated to the activist and transgender figure Marsha P. Johnson.

The Shirley Chisholm Circle, at Kingston Ave. & Prospect Pl., Crown Heights, Brooklyn, commemorates the life and achievements of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, at 405 W. 55th St., Midtown West, Manhattan, is a performing arts center that supports artists and organizations.

The Apollo Theater, at 253 W. 125th St., Harlem, Manhattan, has been a safe space for Black performers since 1922.

The Black Spectrum Theatre, at 177-01 Baisley Blvd., Jamaica, Queens, hosts stage productions, film screenings and other performing arts.

Harlem Stage, at 150 Convent Ave., Harlem, Manhattan, supports artists and organizations through its two venues: Aaron Davis Hall and the Gatehouse.