Community Memory | Black Churches on Lower East Side

The Purpose

Historic Black churches have long served as places of worship, gathering, organizing, celebration, and resilience. They have witnessed generations of baptisms, weddings, funerals, civil rights organizing, community advocacy, music, and family traditions. Yet as congregations age and neighborhoods change, many of these invaluable stories risk being lost.

The Sacred Stories initiative partners with historic Black churches to document and preserve the lived experiences of their congregations alongside the rich history of the Lower East Side and Lower Manhattan. Through oral history interviews, family photographs, historical research, and community storytelling, we will create a lasting archive that honors both the institutions and the people who have shaped them.

Why the Churches?

Black churches have always been more than places of worship. They have served as centers of education, mutual aid, political organizing, cultural preservation, and community leadership.This initiative recognizes churches as trusted stewards of community memory.Rather than focusing on institutional challenges, this project celebrates the people whose lives have given these sacred spaces meaning.

Community Memory Initiative

Sacred Stories: Black Church & Community Archive

What the Partnership Includes

A partnership between Black Footprints NYC and historic Black churches of Lower Manhattan to preserve the memories, histories, and lived experiences of the people who built our community.

Historical Presentation

Each participating church receives a public presentation exploring the history of Black churches in Lower Manhattan and their connection to the broader story of New York City.

Community Oral Histories

Congregants are invited to share their personal memories through recorded interviews documenting life on the Lower East Side.

Topics include:

Family history
Childhood memories
Schools
Churches
Music
Businesses
Neighborhood traditions
Community celebrations
Historic events
How the neighborhood has changed

Family Archive Days

Families may bring photographs, documents, church programs, letters, and memorabilia to be digitally preserved.

Community Portraits

Professional family portraits celebrate multiple generations while creating a visual archive for the future

Public History

Stories gathered through the project may become part of exhibitions, presentations, walking tours, educational programming, and future publications (with participant permission).

Benefits to the Church

Participating churches receive:

professionally preserved oral histories
digital copies of interviews (where appropriate)
digitized historical materials
increased public awareness of the church's history
opportunities to host educational programs
recognition as a Community Memory Partner
opportunities for collaborative fundraising and grant-supported programming
increased visitation through educational tours and public events

Sustainable Partnership

This initiative is designed to create lasting partnerships that benefit both Black Footprints NYC and participating churches.

As public programming, walking tours, lectures, exhibitions, and grant-funded projects grow, participating churches may have opportunities to host educational events and receive support for facility use, staffing, and collaborative programming. The goal is to ensure that preserving history also strengthens the institutions that continue to safeguard it.

About the Project Director

Lisa Burriss is the Founder and President of Black Footprints NYC and creator of the Community Memory Initiative. Raised on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Lisa's lifelong connection to the neighborhood includes deep ties to several historic churches through worship, youth programs, community service, and historical research. Those experiences inspired a descendant-centered approach to preserving neighborhood history—one that recognizes that the people who lived the history are as important as the buildings themselves.

Lisa's lifelong connection to Lower Manhattan's historic Black churches includes being baptized at Mariners' Temple Baptist Church by the Honorable Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, singing in the church's youth choir, learning under the late and Honorable Deacon Alice E. Fields, participating in the DeWitt Reformed Church community, and collaborating with the late Deacon Harper on community initiatives serving Lower East Side public housing residents. These enduring relationships continue to shape her descendant-centered approach to preserving community history and memory.