BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — There is a house in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, a home that belonged to slave owners who built it on the land taken from Indigenous people in the region.
The house historically belonged to the Lefferts, a wealthy Dutch family whose remarkable work transformed the area from an agricultural frontier to a diverse urban center, according to The Center for Brooklyn History. Now, the story of the Lefferts family is adding a new history lesson.
“It’s time to completely rethink and shift the narrative from the colonial perspective of the Lefferts family to the Indigenous people whose land was stolen and enslaved Africans,” said Morgan Monaco, president of Prospect Park Alliance.
The New York City Parks Department and Prospect Park Alliance have launched the “Reimagine Lefferts Initiative,” which will tell the stories of the resilience of the slaves who worked for the family and lived in the house.
“This initiative will provide opportunities for descendants, populations in our communities, and beyond to reflect on the history of their ancestors and understand the obstacles that they overcame,” Monaco said.
More than 20 slaves were purchased and inherited by the Lefferts, and their house was built on land initially inhabited by the Lenape Tribe, according to the Brooklyn Library.
