“Mama” Joy. Photo credit: https://www.ourtimepress.com/fighting-to-save-underground-railroad-site-ode-to-joy/.

Joy Chatel at the Drummers Circle at Prospect Park.

Mission

The Abolitionist Heritage Center was founded by the Friends of Abolitionist Place, a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to support the preservation and celebration of 227 Abolitionist Place.

Our mission is to uplift, celebrate, and preserve Black liberation, abolition, U.S. history, and resistance to injustice through the curation of visitor experiences, permanent collections, and rotating exhibitions that honor these traditions in the past and present.

The Center will be a multi-purpose, internationally significant center for the celebration, study, commemoration, and cultivation of Black-led community activism. This plan builds upon, and is a tribute to, Mama Joy, whose vision for the home was always for it to become a permanent community space “for the people,” rooted in the history, joy, and celebration of Black freedom.