Civil Rights Map Shows Incredible History Of The East Village

EAST VILLAGE, NY — The Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation just launched a map showing social justice landmarks in the West Village, East Village, and Noho.

The map highlights key historical spots from the Civil Rights, Women's, Labor and LGBT movements, as well as other important landmarks; on it you can find Beat poet Alan Ginsburg's home (437 E. 12th St., the location of the first racially integrated nightclub in NYC, where Billie Holiday first sang “Strange Fruit” (Cafe Society, 1 Sheridan Square), and the Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Health Center (26 Bleecker St.) named after the women who popularized the term "birth control" and fought to advance women's reproductive rights.

The idea for the project came about, in part, because the preservation society is "always looking for ways to bring the history of our neighborhood to life and especially to utilize new technology and means of communication for doing that," says Andrew Berman, executive director of GVSHP.

But as work on the project progressed, it became clear that it was a particularly relevant time to be highlighting social justice landmarks.

"This project began around the middle of this past year," says Berman, "and for some fairly obvious reasons, given the public discourse in our country of late, the issues of civil rights and social justice, including equality for immigrants, were prominent in our minds."

Some of the spots on the map were "well-known, ones that we know off the top of our heads," Berman says. While other were places that have disappeared, and required in-depth research to bring to light.

In particular, says Berman, many sights connected to African-American history have histories that are long-buried. And that is one of the reasons why, while most of the map focuses on "the positives" — the work of artists, activist leaders, and communities fighting for justice and change — the map also illuminates a story of loss and suffering.

"As much as these neighborhoods are known for being on leading edge of progressive history," says Berman, "there's another side."

For example, he says, in 1863 the area witnessed the Draft Riots — five days of horrific violence by poor, white mostly-immigrant New Yorkers, who took their anger at the Civil War draft out on their black neighbors, who were not allowed to serve in the army because they were not considered citizens. White men who could afford to pay $300 or hire a substitute did not have to serve either, yet the brunt of the mob violence —including lynchings and fire set to buildings — fell on the African-American community.

"If you look at the map," Berman says, "you'll find things that you always knew but you might find out more about, as well as things that you have never heard of and have walked by 100 times without realizing."

If you'd like to see some of sights in person, GVHSP is hosting a free LGBT history bar crawl at the end of the month.

Led by expert tour guide Phil Desiere, the bar crawl promises to take guests on a trip around the West Village's watering holes "to raise a glass and awareness for how each site added to the neighborhood’s reputation as a place of openness, acceptance, and resistance."

"We try to look at the good and the bad and everything in between," Berman says, "but there's a lot of be proud of here. There's a phenomenal amount of history concentrated in just a couple of square miles."

Lead image via Creative Commons; map via GVSHP.