Lots of words and wonderings and wanderings
Today is June 19, Juneteenth, a federal holiday. It is celebrated annually to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.
The holiday's name is a portmanteau of the words "June" and "nineteenth", as it was on June 19, 1865, when the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the Civil War occurred. Although this date commemorates enslaved people learning of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation, this only applied to former Confederate states. There remained legally enslaved people in states that never seceded from the Union. These people did not gain their freedom until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution on December 6, 1865.
Meanwhile in New York City...
Beginning in 1858, Central Park was created to address New York City's rapidly growing recreational needs. During the first half of the 19th century it was home to Seneca Village—a community of predominantly African-Americans, many of whom owned property.
The village existed between 1825 and 1857. In 1855 there were approximately 225 residents, a population that consisted of roughly two-thirds African-Americans, one-third Irish immigrants, and a small number of Germans. There were over 50 homes in Seneca Village, plus three churches and a school. For African-American property owners, Seneca Village provided residential stability and an investment in the future. Another incentive to owning property at the time was that it gave African-Americans the right to vote.
When the City decided to build Central Park, it used eminent domain to acquire the land. Residents were "compensated" for their property and had to leave by 1857. After they dispersed, all traces of the settlement were lost to history. Since the 1990s, scholars and archeologists have been working to bring the history of Seneca Village to light.
Seneca Village has made me think about eminent domain, redlining, gentrification. People, so many times minorities, are displaced because of these policies. Homes once stood at this children's playground where today people sit on the benches to enjoy a beautiful day. People did the same thing almost 200 years ago, but because of their skin color they had to pack up and go to find a new home, just like the emancipated slaves.
One of the most enlightening books I read last year was "The Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein, it traces racism from early days to what is happening today.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had an exhibit about Seneca Village. Seeing that exhibit was the first I'd heard of this place.
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