In December, AARN published a letter urging the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission to act upon the Request for Evaluation of Colored School No. 4 for designation as an Individual Landmark.
This April, Eric K. Washington gave a talk on the topic, speaking on the legacy of former Colored School No. 4 in Chelsea. Eric K. Washington, an independent historian and author, endeavors to reconnect forgotten history to present landscapes through articles, talks and tours. His extensive work on Colored School No. 4 is a critical reminder of the City’s segregationist education policy and history, which is not yet widely discussed or well-understood.
“Colored” schools were the cultural centers of New York’s African American communities, and this school became a pillar to the immediate community. It also was integral to an informal network of other African American schools, churches, enterprises, missions and societies that anchored the growing Black enclaves of lower Manhattan. It is vital to preserve this last remaining “colored” school in Manhattan to commemorate African Americans’ heritage in the City.
Learn more in Eric K. Washington’s presentation here.