New York: Broadway, fine dining, hot nightspots and shopping, lots of shopping; some of the best in the world. But there’s more to the Big Apple than the good life...this city is full of sites that highlight the Black experience in America.

The African Burial Ground stretches more than five blocks in lower Manhattan. It is the largest known intact colonial African cemetery in the country. Found in 1991 when workers were clearing the land to make way for an office building, the burial ground contains the remains of more than 400 slaves. The six acre site has since been declared a historic landmark and a section of the block where the remains were found now serves as a memorial.

At the Northeast corner of Central Park in Manhattan is Duke Ellington Circle. Here, you’ll find a 25 foot tall statue of Ellington, standing next to a piano and on the heads of nine nude “muses”.

The Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, located in Brooklyn, is a multi-ethnic, multi-denominational church that once served as a stop on the …

There are several posts about Abyssinian that describe the historic and architectural significance that attract tourists from around the world to Sunday worship service. It provides the uninitiated with a view of the African American worship experience that much of the world considers an important part of an American visit.

If you ever plan to visit Abyssinian, you may be intimidated by the line that curves the block filled with tourists waiting their turn to get an opportunity to be a part of the worship service. Do not be intimidated. The line is meant to be for international tourists, many of whom are dropped off by tour buses for a day trip to Harlem.

If you are visiting New York and would like to worship at Abyssinian, you do not need to stand in line. The greeters outside the church will generally differentiate between international tourists and visitors truly interested in worshiping with the congregation. We welcome you. See you in church.

http://www.abyssinian.org

174 W. 136th New York, NY 212.491.2920 http://www.abyssinian.org/index.php?l=1 There’s no way talk about New York’s historically Black churches without mentioning Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. Abyssinian was established in 1808 as a joint effort between African Americans and Egyptian merchants who were tired of racially segregated seating in the worship space. After changing locations throughout Manhattan, Abyssinian made its appearance in Harlem on April 9, 1922 under the direction of Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Sr. Since this time, the church has remained a permanent fixture in the Harlem community and tourists travel from around the globe to attend services and capture images of this Uptown sacred place.