Exploring New York's Black History

New Netherland, the colony settled in 1624 by the Dutch West India Company (WIC), once covered land today known as New York, New Jersey, northern Pennsylvania, and southern Connecticut.

On August 29th, 1627, 22 African men arrived and were enslaved by the Dutch WIC in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City). For the next 200 years, Africans and their descendants would comprise the largest portion of the workforce used in the region. They lived and worked on all the colonial historic sites now under the stewardship of New York State Parks' Bureau of Historic Sites. Exhibits, tours, and programs related to the lives and work of those enslaved can be found at the sites and here online.

Use the map below to explore relevant sites:

Learn the stories of American Service members, heroes and heroines, who have received the United States oldest military award for being wounded or killed in service.

Named in honor of the first Black Congresswoman and the first Black person to run for President. This 407-acre park leads you into the life of Ms. Chisholm, and the world of environmental justice. Shirley Chisholm State Park on Jamaica Bay is the largest state park in New York City and offers hiking, biking, fishing and picnicking.

Renamed for a dynamic pioneer in the LGBTQ+ fight for equal rights and for transwomen of color, this seven-acres state park in Brooklyn offers a riverfront view of Manhattan and an opportunity to relax in a place where everyone is welcome.

Located in Western New York, Fort Ontario explores centuries of Black military history. Most notably, the fort was the training ground for the Harlem Hellfighters, an all-Black combat unit in World War I. Officially known as the 369th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, it consisted of 1800 Black soldiers.