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 City date back hundreds of years.
In Lower Manhattan on Duane Street, the African Burial Ground, a six-acre memorial, acknowledges the role slavery played in building this city. The plot is the largest unearthed burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved African descendants. Uptown, on 125th Street in Harlem, the legendary Apollo Theater still stands. The iconic hall has served as both launchpad and safe space for Black and brown musicians since 1934; the institution has recently expanded to include the newly opened Apollo Stages at The Victoria and its historic theater is undergoing an extensive renovation meant to be completed in 2026. Over the bridge in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, a plaque in Brower Park commemorates the life and achievements of Shirley Chisholm. In 1972, the equal rights icon became the first Black woman to make a bid for the US presidency. A year later in the Boogie Down Bronx, hip-hop was born. During a back-to-school bash, DJ Kool Herc experimented on the turntables and in turn created a musical and cultural movement that has challenged generational thinking around politics, race and language.
Black history is American history, yet Black historical sites are often omitted from this country’s record. According to the National Register of Historic Places—the federal government’s official list of locations worthy of preservation—only 2 percent of the 95,000 entries recognize the experiences of Black Americans.
In New York City, Black lives and Black stories matter. NYC is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and NYC has one of the largest populations of Black residents in America. Explore these distinguished points of interest that celebrate the contributions of the Black community to the City’s culture.
Museums and Educational Centers
Visit these for insight into Black history, art and music.
Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute
120 E. 125th St., Harlem, Manhattan,
This
Louis Armstrong House Museum. Photo: Kate Glicksberg
Louis Armstrong House Museum
34-56 107th St., Corona, Queens,
Louis Armstrong was one of the most famous musicians in the world when he and his wife, Lucille, settled on their modest digs in the working-class neighborhood of Corona, Queens, in 1943. The house they resided in is now a
The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial & Educational Center
3940 Broadway, Washington Heights, Manhattan,
This landmarked Washington Heights building has been a fixture in the community for decades. Today, 3940 Broadway is an
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art
10 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene, Brooklyn,
Sandy Ground Historical Society Museum
1538 Woodrow Rd., Rossville, Staten Island,
Sandy Ground is the oldest occupied African American settlement in the country. Founded in the early 19th century by free Blacks from New York, Maryland and Delaware, the community was a significant stop on the Underground Railroad. Back then, Sandy Ground flourished by harvesting oysters and farming. Today, the neighborhood is home to 10 Black families who are descendants of the original settlers and a
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Photo: Kris Grave
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Blvd., Harlem, Manhattan,
In January 2017, Harlem’s
David Hammons' Untitled flag (2004). Courtesy, Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 W. 125th St., Harlem, Manhattan,
Like most Black cultural institutions, the
Weeksville Heritage Center
158 Buffalo Ave., Weeksville, Brooklyn,
Founded in 1838, just 11 years after New York abolished slavery, Weeksville was one of the first free Black communities in America. Back then, the progressive neighborhood was home to many of the City’s Black abolitionist leaders—it published its own newspaper that featured reading exercises and prayers. Today, the area’s historical significance is preserved via the
Monuments and Landmarks
A number of sites commemorate the lives of influential Black New Yorkers and of those once forgotten. Please note that some of these are private residences and are included as points of interest for reference, not as places that people can visit.
African Burial Ground National Monument. Photo: Gabby Jones
African Burial Ground National Monument
290 Broadway, Lower Manhattan,
In Lower Manhattan on Duane Street, a six-acre memorial acknowledges the role slavery played in building New York City. The pristine plot is the largest unearthed
Audre Lorde and Frances Clayton Residence
207 St. Paul’s Ave., Tompkinsville, Staten Island
Feminist, poet and internationally acclaimed civil rights activist Audre Lorde left Harlem in 1972 for this charming
Frederick Douglass Memorial
W. 110th St. & Central Park West, Harlem, Manhattan
This
Hunts Point Slave Burial Ground
Oak Point Ave. (bet. Hunts Point Ave. and Longfellow Ave.), the Bronx,
In 2014, after discovering a black-and-white photograph captured at the turn of the 20th century, a group of teachers, students and historians uncovered a lost slave burial ground at Drake Park in the Bronx. On the front of the photo, deteriorating gravestones sit in a patch of grass; on the back, “Slave burying ground Hunts Point Road” is written in cursive. There are said to be 10 to 40 enslaved African descendants buried at this ancestral site.
Langston Hughes House
20 E. 127th St., Harlem, Manhattan
Author, poet, playwright and renowned social activist Langston Hughes was one of the most influential leaders of the Harlem Renaissance. For 20 years, Hughes resided at
Marsha P. Johnson State Park. Photo: Jeanette Spicer
Marsha P. Johnson State Park
Kent Ave. bet. N. 7th & N. 12th Sts., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Brooklyn's
Shirley Chisholm Circle
Kingston Ave. & Prospect Pl., Crown Heights, Brooklyn
At Brower Park in Crown Heights, a commemorative plaque acknowledges the life and achievements of Shirley Chisholm, a tireless champion for equal rights. In 1968, Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress (representing New York’s 12th congressional district for seven terms), and in 1972, she was the first Black woman to make the bid for the US presidency. A proud Brooklynite, Chisholm remained dedicated to serving the community throughout her career. Farther east in the borough, bike-friendly
Theater
These arts organizations and venues lead the way in NYC’s performing arts scene.
Alvin Ailey. Photo: Paul Kolnik
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
405 W. 55th St., Midtown West, Manhattan,
A fixture in NYC since its founding in 1969, the
Apollo Theater. Photo: Kate Glicksberg
Apollo Theater
253 W. 125th St., Harlem, Manhattan,
In 1914, when
Black Spectrum Theatre
177-01 Baisley Blvd., Jamaica, Queens,
Located in a recreational complex within Queens’ Roy Wilkins Park, this
Harlem Stage
150 Convent Ave., Harlem, Manhattan,
National Black Theatre
2031 Fifth Ave., Harlem, Manhattan,
With its mission to “produce transformational theatrical experiences that enhance the African American cultural identity by telling authentic stories of the Black experience,” the National Black Theatre has long been a Harlem mainstay. Established in 1968 by Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, the venue offers performances, lectures and a variety of classes that continue to advance the vision of its founder. The theater is undergoing an expansion that will see it move to a brand-new art complex spanning a fully city block on 125th Street. A soft opening is planned for 2026 with the inaugural season in the new space scheduled for 2027.