06/19/2026
Today is , a day that marks the abolition of slavery. This we highlight Samuel Anderson, a Black pioneer and one of the last people in Flatbush to be born into slavery.
After gaining his freedom at age 28, Anderson was one of the first Black men to purchase property in the area and to vote in Kings County. Anderson was also one of the first investors into Weeksville, one of America's first free Black communities located in present-day Crown Heights.
Today we honor Samuel Anderson - a father, a preacher, an exhorter, a lifelong Flatbush resident and a pioneer who helped pave the way for Black ownership.