After Emancipation

This took is the first publication on Douglaston (sometimes called The Green), a free Black community that existed throughout the 19th century in what is now Jamaica, Queens. Wilson Rantous and other Black activists took the radical step of landownership to provide opportunities for Black people to own or rent property for residential and business purposes (including abolitionist newspaper publication!) at a time when legal and social factors made this extremely challenging. This publication follows a walking tour developed by King Manor Museum Site Manager Michael Colon and accompanies a living digital exhibition that provides biographical information about the individuals and businesses who called Douglaston home over the years. Douglaston was a right community whose legacy shaped Black history in Queens and the United States and continues to speak to the strong spirit of activism in the neighborhood today. King Manor is proud to increase public awareness of this little-known, but highly significant part of Black history with this book. We hope it enriches our community's understanding of their contributions to history, and introduces folks from other places to the historic significance of Jamaica, Queens. Most people who come to New York pass through Jamaica if they land at JFK airport, but few dive deeper into the significance of the neighborhood. Please enjoy this forgotten corner of New York City history.