The Cultural Mosaic of New York
By Seamus Pugh - Managing Editor
The repression of culture starkly distinguishes the conqueror and the conquered. West-bound white Americans, for instance, asserted themselves over the indigenous population by forcing nomadic Native Americans to adopt 19th-century farming techniques, effectively destroying a sacred way of life. Similarly, Anglo-American slave-owners compelled newly-captive African slaves to drop traditional languages, religions, and even perceptions of time: Bantu peoples, who populate a great majority of sub-Saharan Africa, believe that the past returns to the future, and thus the past, present, and future are inseparable. Slave-owners did their utmost to dispel this notion and to propagate the view that time is measurable and calculable, as on a clock or a calendar. The Anglo-American way of seeing time has slowly spread across the nation, repressing other more traditional, but no less “American,” perspectives.
Such repression continues into the modern age. American mass culture favored white standards of beauty and language over African standards. Notably, the typical American school does not familiarize its students with African-American Vernacular English, which combines traditional black speech with Anglo-English. Black history, too, is often ignored or marginalized in American educational institutions; many Americans of all races have the perception that black history started with slavery and ended with the Civil Rights Movement. Little if any attention is given to Native American history, and many students are exposed more to stereotypical mascots than to the actual sophisticated people who first inhabited this continent (the key figures of whom serve mostly as cannon fodder for American troops in films, novels, and even history textbooks).
The effects of this repression are damaging and far-reaching. But, as with most acts of evil, cultural repression in America was not wholly successful. It is still possible for us to enjoy the extraordinary mosaic of culture that exists only in America. We just need to know where to look.
It is important for members of all races to explore the cultural plurality of America, because cultural oneness, the monolithic idea that Americans belong only to one culture, is the most destructive illusion in the American experience. A nation that believes there is only one beautiful skin-tone, one correct way of worship, one true language, or one national art form is a nation susceptible to the horrors of cultural obliteration and genocide.
With that in mind, the Buzzer staff has been researching historical sites in our local area that represent stories and histories you may not have ever known existed right here in our own area. You can fight cultural oneness by exploring sites of cultural heritage in the New York City region. I have taken the liberty to list a few places of cultural significance.
Triumph of the Human Spirit:
Duane St. &, Centre St, New York, NY 10013
In 1991, construction workers stumbled upon a massive burial ground of AfricanAmerican slaves. An estimated 10,000 African men, women, and children are buried at the African Burial Ground in what is now Thomas Paine Park. To commemorate the souls interred there, sculptor Lorenzo Pace created Triumph of the Human Spirit. The sculpture incorporates many traditional African styles.
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/thomas-paine-park/highlights/19692
Inside Out Tour- Underground Railroad and Slavery in New York:
This 2½-hour walking tour explores the history of slavery in New York, which was a well-entrenched institution until the state outlawed it in 1827. The tour visits a few interesting sites of historical significance, including a former slave market and a stop on the underground railroad. The New York Times calls the tour “at once devastating and amazingly empowering.”
https://insideouttours.com/tours/nyc-slavery-underground-railroad-tour/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/travel/new-york-city-underground-railroad-tour-slavery.html
Frederick Douglass Memorial in Central Park
301 Frederick Douglass Cir, New York, NY 10026
Celebrate the intellectual firebrand and, at least later in life, prominent New Yorker Frederick Douglass by visiting his 8-foot bronze statue in Central Park. Around the statue are engraved quotes of his, including: “RIGHT IS OF NO SEX - TRUTH IS OF NO COLOR - GOD IS THE FATHER OF US ALL, AND WE ARE ALL BRETHREN / MASTHEAD OF THE NORTH STAR”
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/2098
The Neuberger Museum of Art, the African Art Collection:
735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase
The Neuberger Museum’s African Art Collection possesses 153 works from over 30 cultures. The art is typically of Central Africa, but much of sub-Saharan Africa is represented in the beautiful collection.
Cedar Park:
1890 Cedar Ave, The Bronx, NY 10453
Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc performed here in 1973. His performance marked the beginning of hip hop, a hugely influential form of music and dancing.
https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/hip-hop
Foster Memorial AME Zion Church:
90 Wildey Street, Tarrytown
Founded in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War, the Foster Memorial AME Zion Church served as a stop on the Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves escaping to Canada. It was (and still is) a stronghold of African-American community life.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/ny5.htm
Art of Native America:
1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
On display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a massive collection of Native American artwork from over 50 cultures. Sure to impress.
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2018/art-of-native-america-diker-collection
Villa Lewaro:
67 North Broadway, Irvington
Residence of Madam C.J. Walker, the Louisiana-born daughter of slaves who built a million-dollar cosmetics company targeting women of color. Walker, one of the country’s first African-American millionaires, commissioned one of America’s first certified black architects, Vertner W. Tandy, to build this 32-room mansion in 1916. The Villa is now a private residence, but still beautiful if seen from afar.
https://savingplaces.org/places/villa-lewaro-madam-c-j-walker-estate
Sylvia’s Restaurant:
328 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027
A classic Harlem restaurant serving soul food since 1962. Founded by Sylvia Woods, a native Southerner, Sylvia’s Restaurant is one of hundreds of NYC restaurants that proudly showcase the most important part of every culture: FOOD!