Black Monuments in NYC: Book Talk with Author David Felsen
Schedule
Thu Jan 15 2026 at 06:30 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, East 10th Street, New York, NY, USA | New York, NY
About this Event
Join local author David Felsen for a talk on his book New York City Monuments of Black Americans: A History and Guide. The book reveals the stories behind thirty inspiring monuments in New York City, tracing the history from nameless symbolic monuments beginning in 1876, to the first named monument to a black person, Booker T. Washington, in 1946, all the way to the first dedication of a monument to a black woman in New York City, Harriet Tubman, in 2007.
About the book:
New York City is blessed with an incredible array of public sculptures. One
overlooked aspect of this collection is its monuments of Black Americans, cach
with its own remarkable story. The first appearance of a Black person in a city
monument came in the Civil War Soldiers' Monument in Brooklyn's Green-
Wood Cemetery in 1876, but this was a nameless symbolic figure. It wasn't until
1945 that Booker T. Washington became the first identifiable Black American
honored in a New York City monument. In 2007, the city dedicated its first
monument to a Black woman, Harriet Tubman. Behind every first is a story of
triumph over adversity and exclusion. Local author David Felsen reveals the
stories behind thirty inspiring monuments that have endured, as well as how
they found their place in the city's history.
About the Author, David Felsen:
David Felsen is an Emmy Award Winning producer who teaches American history to eleventh graders at Avenues: The World School in New York City. He has an MA in American history from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and a bachelor’s degree in history from Haverford College. Before becoming a history teacher, David produced television documentaries for HBO, PBS and History, among others. He lives in Brooklyn near Prospect Park with his wife, his son and a dog and a cat.
Where is it happening?
St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, East 10th Street, New York, NY, USA, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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