Black History Month 5 Boro Tour begins first season

Nine NYC cultural organizations across five boroughs welcome visitors to celebrate Black History Month through innovative and rich programming.

African Burial Ground National Monument, Langston Hughes Community Library & Cultural Center – Queens Library, Louis Armstrong House Museum, MoCADA, National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Sandy Ground Historical Society Museum, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture – New York Public Library, Weeksville Heritage Center and the Woodlawn Conservancy have organized this city-wide cultural program.

The 5 Boro Tour is self-guided. Guests can plan their visits to each of the nine sites throughout the month of February to participate. By checking-in at each site, visitors can pick up a Tour gift from Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar. Simply mention Promo Code: NYCbhm and receive 10 percent off your meal purchase at Applebee’s. Collect all 9!

“Reflective of our on-going participation in our neighborhoods, Applebee’s is proud to partner with these fine cultural organizations in our local communities as we celebrate Black History Month,” noted Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar N.Y. Area Franchisee CEO Zane Trankel.

“The idea for the 5 Boro Tour for Black History Month was inspired by the Partners in Preservation program sponsored by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation,” explained Michael Cogswell, executive director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. “New York City is one of most culturally rich cities on the planet, and we want people to explore all nine of the cultural organizations on the 5 Boro Tour — each is wonderful and each is unique.”

“The tour is a great opportunity for New Yorkers and tourists alike to deepen their appreciation and understanding of the powerful role African Americans have played in the cultural and economic development of our city,” said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chairman Robert B. Tierney. “Three of the cultural institutions included on the tour – the Louis Armstrong House, the Weeksville Heritage Center and the African Burial Grounds – are New York City landmarks, making an even more compelling case for visiting them.”

“The 5 Boro Tour is an outstanding way for visitors to experience some of the City’s richest cultural offerings during Black History Month this February,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta.

Each site offers rich programming for the month of February. Details can be found at NYCbhm.org and on the links to each organization’s site.

Here are the sites organized by borough:

Brooklyn

Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA), 80 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11217, 718.230.0492, www.mocada.org

Weeksville Heritage Center, 1698 Bergen St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11213, Bergen Street between Buffalo and Rochester, 718.756.5250

www.weeksvillesociety.org

Bronx

Woodlawn Conservancy (Formerly Friends of Woodlawn), Webster Avenue & East 233rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10470, 718.920.1563 x225

www.thewoodlawncemetery.org

Manhattan

African Burial Ground National Monument, 290 Broadway, 1st Floor, New York, N.Y. 10007, www.nps.gov/afbg, Phone: 212.637.2019

National Jazz Museum in Harlem, 104 East 126th St., #2C, New York, N.Y. 10035212.348.8300, www.jmih.org

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library, TD Bank is the lead sponsor of Black History Month at the Schomburg Center, 515 Malcolm X Blvd. at 135th Street, New York, N.Y. 10037, 212.491.2234, www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg

Queens

Langston Hughes Community Library & Cultural Center, Queens Library, 100-01 Northern Blvd., Corona, N.Y. 11368 2Fl., 718.651.1100, www.libraryactioncommittee.org

Louis Armstrong House Museum, 34-56 107th St., Corona, Queens, New York, 718.478.8274, www.LouisArmstrongHouse.org

Staten Island

Sandy Ground Historical Society Museum, 1538 Woodrow Road, Staten Island, N.Y. 10309, 718.317.5796, NYCbhm.org

NYC Black History Month 5 Boro Tour sponsors include: Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and Queens Tourism Council.