STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. —The stories of Sandy Ground, the nation’s oldest free Black settlement still inhabited by descendants of its pioneers, are taking center stage in a new documentary project that aims to preserve the voices of those who know its history best: the families who trace their roots to the community’s founders.
For the past two years, Columbia University Professor Heather Butts has worked alongside students to meet with descendants of Sandy Ground’s pioneering families, documenting their memories, experiences and connections to the historic Rossville community.
The result is “Rossville A.M.E. Zion Church: The Heart of Sandy Ground,” a newly released mini-documentary that explores the legacy of Sandy Ground, recognized as the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement…