South Street Seaport Museum Announces Black Gotham Experience: Nerdy Thursdays

South Street Seaport Museum announces Black Gotham Experience: Nerdy Thursdays on Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 6:30pm at 213 Water Street. Advanced registration is suggested for this free event. Book free tickets here.

Join the Seaport Museum for a special evening with Black Gotham Experience (BGX) as NERDY THURSDAYS—BGX’s contemporary take on the Harlem Renaissance salon—blends themes from the Museum’s landmark exhibition The Promise of Liberty: Words That Shaped a Nation alongside Battle in the Margins.

This thought-provoking moderated conversation brings together guest experts to examine Black History in connection to the nation’s founding ideals and the evolution of Liberty in the country, asking a powerful question: “Who” is really being promised liberty? Drawing on stories from the Revolutionary War and remarkable documents featured in The Promise of Liberty—including a first edition of Frederick Douglass’s 1855 autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom, featuring his seminal speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, and an advance copy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic March on Washington speech—the discussion will explore the ongoing struggle to expand the promise of liberty.

After the conversation, stay to enjoy complimentary drinks, a themed soundtrack by the featured DJ, browse the BGX library, and connect with others in a welcoming space for conversation, reflection, and new ideas.

Before the program, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, attendees are invited to explore The Promise of Liberty and view these extraordinary documents alongside other foundational treasures that shaped the nation. Exhibition admission is included with your free event ticket.

Preregistration will be encouraged for this event. Walkups will be accommodated as possible.

About Black Gotham Experience

Established in 2010 by artist/historian Kamau Ware, Black Gotham Experience creates media at the intersection of scholarship and aesthetics that illustrates the impact of the African Diaspora missing from collective consciousness as well as the public square. BGX reimagines the spaces directly impacted by the African Diaspora as human stories explored through interactive walks, talks, events, and art. The heart of these experiences are five core stories that revisit Manhattan in 1623 and move forward through three centuries: Other Side of Wall Street, Sarah’s Fire, Caesar’s Rebellion, Citizen Hope, and State of Mirrors. blackgotham.com

About the South Street Seaport Museum

The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries and education spaces, working 19th century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of “Where New York Begins.” seaportmuseum.org

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