About the Program
Carla Peterson, English professor at the University of Maryland, recounts the lives of African-American elites in New York City in the 19th century. Ms. Peterson examines a community of African-American New Yorkers, which included her ancestors, prior to the Civil War whose occupations afforded them upper-class status under the constant threat of racial violence. Carla Peterson discusses her book at the Jefferson Market Library in New York City.