Facing the Hidden History of Slavery on the East End

Sylvester Manor Educational Farm, cohosting with Eastville Community Historical Society, will present the 5th Annual Black History Month Celebration on Sunday, Feb. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor.

This year’s program, “Hidden in Plain Sight: Facing the Enslaved History of the East End” will explore the history of slavery on the East End of Long Island and the omission of that history from the founding narrative of the United States.

The program will consist of visual presentations and a panel of speakers involved in projects to bring the stories, histories and lives of the early enslaved African people who lived, worked and died on the Eastern End of Long Island to light.

Their names and facts of their lives can be found in documents and archives and by asking simple questions: how many slaves lived here, what did they do, where did they go, where are they buried. The goal of the discussion is to help change the way our community and its archive keepers think about the past.

Expert panelists include:
Dr. Georgette Grier-Key: Executive Director/Curator of Eastville Community Historical Society, Sag Harbor
Aileen Novick: Site Administrator /Project Manager; Hempsted Houses of Connecticut Landmarks, Connecticut
David Rattray: Owner/Editor of The East Hampton Star Newspaper and Director of the East Hampton Plain Sight Project, East Hampton
Donnamarie Barnes: Curator/ archivist Sylvester Manor Educational Farm, Shelter Island

A reception will follow. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door and can be purchased online here.