Freedom Trail for Abolitionist Sites Could Come to Lower Manhattan

Two abolitionist freedom trails, akin to ones that are massively popular in Philadelphia and Boston, could soon be coming to New York City. One would be specifically oriented towards Lower Manhattan, and the other would have a “citywide” focus.

Freedom trails essentially point locals and tourists towards surviving historical monuments. For example, the Boston Freedom Trail utilizes a pathway of red bricks to shepherd curious visitors past a series of 16 “nationally significant” sites. The NYC freedom trails would be focused on sites related to the movement to end slavery, including Underground Railroad stops.

On September 12, the NY City Council passed a bill that would create a year-long task force on the idea, which will “consist of public officials, academic and historical scholars, and representatives from relevant organizations. Mayor Eric Adams is holding a hearing on the bill on September 27. The bill would also provide for two public meetings over the course of the year.

City Council Member Christopher Marte, who represents Lower Manhattan and served as a sponsor of the task force bill, talked to Our Town Downtown about why a freedom trail would be an essential addition to his district.

“This idea originated from a lot of advocates and organizers who have been part of the civil rights movement, or who have been part of acknowledging that movement,” Marte said. He noted that Harlem Historical Society head Jacob Morris has been a longtime organizer for such a trail, as well as organizations such as the New York Historical Society and Black Gotham, the latter of which already organizes tours that the Freedom Trail could be modeled after.

“It’s connects preservation and an understanding of who lived in our community,” Marte continued, explaining why centering one of the trails in Lower Manhattan is essential. “There are so many stories that aren’t told. For example, who financed the slave trade? It was mostly people on Wall Street. If you think about Wall Street in and of itself, the wall that was built there was built by enslaved people. The South Street Seaport was one of the first slavery auction sites.”

Marte believes that the Lower Manhattan trail should also include monuments to Frederick Douglass and Elizabeth Jennings. Douglass, a brilliant orator and writer, became free from slavery’s bonds in Tribeca. Jennings, who Marte described as “the first Rosa Parks,” was a civil rights icon that secured the desegregation of NYC’s streetcars and established the city’s first kindergarten for Black children.

“As a city, we don’t do enough to visualize or tell people what happened here,” he added, meaning that a Freedom Trail would provide essential historical context. It would be a massive economic boon for his district, Marte said, as he anticipates that it will be a substantial driver of tourism.

As for what the experience would look like from an on-the-ground perspective, Marte thinks that “there has to be ‘way-finders’” which point people towards monuments. “Even if it’s just plaques on a building, it goes a long way towards helping people stop, read, and understand the importance of the monument,” he said.

The details, Marte notes, are “what the task force is meant for.” If Mayor Adams signs off on the bill, moving the task force and the freedom trail forward, Marte said that he wants “transparency” about its workings. “Hopefully these conversations are public. Hopefully, they allow the community to have a say as to whether anything is missing, or not.”