Harbor Sides February/March 2011

Celebrate Black History Month

African Burial Ground National Monument, Castle Clinton National Monument, Federal Hall National Memorial, Gateway National Recreation Area, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site

Join the National Park Service as numerous sites in New York City offer special programming for African-American History Month, whose theme this year is “African Americans and the Civil War.”

• African Burial Ground National Monument, 290 Broadway, First Floor, Manhattan
  The National Park Service will present an entire month of programming in honor of Black History Month that includes a film series, gallery talks(subject to change), a family memory box workshop and a special presentation on African textiles. The film series will be shown at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 and Feb. 26. The memory box workshop will be offered at 10:30 every Wednesday. The African Textiles lecture will be at 12:15p.m. Feb. 15. All programs are free and open to the public, but reservations are required due to limited space. www.nps.gov/afbg
• Gateway National Recreation Area -- Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge visitor center
  Learn about “The Harlem Hellfighters: The 369th Regiment” from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Feb. 5.  The New York National Guard’s 369th Regiment was the first African- American unit sent overseas during World War I. Find out about their exploits during this Black History Month lecture and slide show. www.nps.gov/gate
• Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park, Manhattan
  Rufus and Nicola James will dress in period costume to give a presentation about the African presence in New York during the 18th Century at noon on Feb. 11. Their play, “For Freedom’s Sake,” examines the impacts of slavery upon the lives of enslaved Africans and their quests to be free. The performance is free to the public, however, space is limited and reservations are strongly suggested. www.nps.gov/cacl
• Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, 28 East 20^th Street, Manhattan
  Discover the life and times of Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female pilot, in a production by Dr. Daisy Century at 11 a.m. on Feb. 16. This by-reservation-only program is currently full, but media are welcome to attend www.nps.gov/thrb
• Federal Hall National Memorial, 26 Wall Street, Manhattan
  Join the National Park Service at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 17 for “Hercules: One of History’s Lost Voices,” a special program exploring the life of Hercules, one of George Washington’s slaves. Flamboyant, larger than life, Hercules was Washington’s talented chef in Mount Vernon, New York and in Philadelphia. Considered a wonderful culinary artist, Hercules was afforded many privileges, such as keeping the profits from the sale of left-over food and the opportunity to dress extravagantly. Actor Bruce Robinson will also answer questions about Hercules’s life following the performance. Seating is limited and reservations are required for groups of 10 or more.

www.nps.gov/feha

• General Grant National Memorial, 122^nd Street at Riverside Drive, Manhattan
  Join the National Park Service for a special program about Sojourner Truth at 11 a.m. Feb. 25.

Dr. Daisy Century gives a commanding performance of Ms. Truth, bringing to life a woman undeterred by incredible obstacles, a woman who mixed with the leading figures of her day, including Susan B. Anthony, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Audience members are urged to consider the twin goals of racial and gender parity of equal importance. Following the presentation, the audience has the opportunity to sign Sojourner Truth’s Book of Life, signifying their connection to Ms. Truth’s legacy. www.nps.gov/gegr

• St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site, 897 South Columbus Ave., Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
  St. Paul’s Church will have special programs commemorating Presidents & Black History Month from noon to 4 p.m. on Feb. 12. There will be talks and re-enactments of Presidents Washington, Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt as well as special activities for children. In addition, the site will open its new exhibition: "A Clash of Cultures: Anne Hutchinson's Brief Life near St. Paul's Church," which chronicles the collision of the Lenape Indians, the colony of New Netherland and the bold Puritan exile Anne Hutchinson near St. Paul's in the early 1640s. www.nps.gov/sapa

“The Momentous Issue of Civil War”: Retracing Lincoln’s Inaugural Journey

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site and General Grant National Memorial

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, 28 East 20^th Street, Manhattan

Feb. 19, 6-8 p.m.

Abraham Lincoln traveled through more than 83 cities and towns in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, on his way to Washington to be inaugurated as president from Feb. 11-23, 1861. Fritz Klein, a noted Lincoln re-enactor and National Park Service Rangers will present a special program from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 19 at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace. The program explores the issues and events leading up the Civil War as well as the legacies of the Civil War, Reconstruction and the 20^th-Century Civil Rights era.

Klein will deliver a one-hour talk portraying Lincoln during his February 1860 inaugural journey. Lincoln will share his concerns, fears and hopes as his nation teeters towards secession and civil war. Following Lincoln’s remarks, the audience members will be invited to ask questions. National Park Service Rangers will also discuss the legacies of the Civil War, Reconstruction and the twentieth century Civil Rights era.

General Grant National Memorial, 122^nd Street at Riverside Drive, Manhattan

Feb. 20, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Klein will offer a more interactive Lincoln experience at General Grant National Memorial (Grant’s Tomb) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 20, where he will speak casually with visitors in one on one exchanges, answering questions related to Lincoln’s concerns, fears and hopes as the nation moved closer towards secession and civil war.

NPS Rangers will also be on hand to answer questions about Ulysses S. Grant during the same period as well as Grant’s career under Lincoln and the legacies of the Civil War.