DUMBO, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- Kathy Wheat, a visitor from Colorado, was strolling through the Fulton Ferry Landing in Dumbo Brooklyn when she stumbled upon something unexpected.
"I just happened to be walking towards Dumbo," she said.
She heard speakers and noticed a QR code promoting an event.
"I thought I would see what this was about," Wheat explained. Intrigued, she scanned the code.
Wheat discovered the launch of "More Than a Brook: Brooklyn Abolitionist Heritage Walk," a new three-part immersive audio tour exploring Brooklyn's rich abolitionist history and role in the Underground Railroad.
"I'm always interested in social justice in our nation's history about the freedom of Black people in America," Wheat remarked.
The groundbreaking audio experience, created by Kamau Ware Studios and the Black Gotham Experience, guides participants through 19 stops and 4.5 miles of landmark abolitionist sites. For Ware, making this often-overlooked history tangible is crucial.
"New York City is named after a slave trader, so is the state in our state capitol. And people sometimes think that Black history began in like 1920 with the Harlem Renaissance, but there were Black folks here before the British Empire and the 1600s," Ware stated. "Those kind of things shouldn't be surprises. That should be commonplace knowledge. It should be in the concrete. It should be in the air."
According to Ware, balancing creativity with project management was a key challenge. The Landmarks Preservation Commission commissioned the audio tour to make this history more accessible.
"It's fine when you see the building and you read about it, but we really wanted to bring it out and to make it much more accessible," said Katie Lemos McHale, Director of Research at the commission.
The launch event took place at Brooklyn Bridge Park before the Juneteenth holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
For Wheat, the interactive experience promises an engaging journey through history and a catalyst for contemplating America's ongoing struggle.
"It's fascinating the history, where we are now and how we keep going a bit backwards," Wheat reflected.
To learn more, click here.
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