The History of Slavery on Long Island

Did you know that Long Island has an extensive history of slavery? For hundreds of years, the forced labor of enslaved people of color was at the center of Long Island life, from the Brooklyn Ferry to the East End. Often ignored or marginalized, this aspect of Long Island’s past is central to understanding the development of its society and culture.

Join us for a talk about this important but often overlooked aspect of Long Island’s past. Dr. Lynda Day, Professor of African History at Brooklyn College, will provide us with an introduction to this complicated history and help us understand aspects of the lives and experiences of Long Island’s enslaved population.

Dr. Day was the Curator of Black History for the Julius and Joysetta African American Museum of Nassau County in the 80s, and from that research published the first standard history of Black Long Island, “Making A Way to Freedom: A History of African Americans on Long Island.” Her awards include a Fulbright Fellowship, a Five Colleges Women’s Research Center Fellowship, and the Brooklyn College Endowed Chair of Women and Gender Studies.

Dr. Day’s presentation will be followed by a discussion of the ways that Long Island’s history of enslavement should be publicly remembered and studied today. We look forward to a robust Q&A period followed by a small reception.

This event is in commemoration of Black History Month and jointly sponsored by the University Libraries and the Center for African, Black, and Caribbean Studies.

For more information, please contact the Center for African, Black & Caribbean Studies at 516.877.4978 or at cabcs@adelphi.edu