Carter G. Woodson, often hailed as the “Father of Black History,” was a pioneering African American historian, author, and journalist. Born in 1875, he dedicated his life to illuminating the rich history and achievements of African Americans. During the dawning of the twentieth century, it was widely presumed that...
The African American Historical Society of Rockland County is pleased to invite you to a Community Forum on Thursday, September 12, 2024, at 7:00 PM, at Rockland Community College, Technology Building – Ellipse 8180, 145 College Road, Suffern, NY. This open forum will be a space for us to collectively...
The African American Historical Society of Rockland County in collaboration with Rockland Community College’s Performing Arts Department will present an engaging, cultural and educational program called “A Glimpse of the Harlem Renaissance.” In recognition of African American History Month, this program will highlight an unprecedented era in U.S. history...
Within the fabric of American identity is woven a story that has long been invisible—the lives and experiences of people who share African American and Native American ancestry. African and Native peoples came together in the Americas. Over centuries, African Americans and Native Americans created shared histories, communities, families,...
Settlement of the area that would later be known as Orange County and afterwards Rockland County by Europeans and individuals of African descent in the 1680’s. Pioneers from Manhattan and New Jersey settled on a large area of land that lay within the borders of New York and New...
Original Signer of the Tappan Patent Jan (John) de Vries II was baptized on August 25, 1647, at the Dutch Reformed Church. He was the son of a Dutch army captain named Johan de Fries and a black woman named Swartinne. The name Swartinne is derived from the...
Original Signer of the Tappan Patent Claes (Nicholas) Manuel one of the African American signers of the Tappan Patent, was born mid seventeenth century and was baptized on August 22, 1649, in New Amsterdam (New York). Claes was a free Black man. Though it is likely that his parents...
Edward Hesdra is hailed for operating an Underground Railroad safe house in Nyack, NY. The UGRR was a secret operation since the penalties for assisting fugitive slaves were severe for the slave as well as the abolitionist. Few records exist that tell us about the activities of agents, conductors...
Kate Savery, the daughter of William Savery, and sister of Cicely Gunner served as principal of the Hillburn Brook School. Her father, William Savery was a master carpenter who was formerly enslaved. His desire to educate his children after the Civil War led to the building of the first...
Hulda DeFreese was born in 1908 in Hillburn and attended the segregated Brook School. She later advanced to Suffern High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Geneseo College in Upstate New York, and a Master of Arts from New York University in New...
They filled every pew and after realizing that no seating space was to be had, each found a small, yet coveted place to stand in the aisles rather than to return home on this late August day. No matter how uncomfortable the accommodations, it was important for each to...