Sunday Afternoon at Elmendorf - A Blues, Jazz & Soul Concert with the Rakiem Walker Project

Sunday, February 22, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Elmendorf Reformed Church, New York

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Blues, jazz & soul with The Rakiem Walker Project, at the historic home church of the Harlem African Burial Ground.

Elmendorf Reformed Church is the oldest Harlem, and the home church of the Harlem African Burial Ground. Through research into its records, the church (founded in 1660) has identified more than 40 names of those buried at the site.

On Sunday afternoon, February 22, at 3 p.m., learn this Black history -- and the future of the burial ground -- this during an afternoon of blues, jazz and soul at the church featuring The Rakiem Walker Project.

Elmendorf is located at 171 East 121st Street, between Third & Lexington avenues. There'll be refreshments from local Black-owned business Lloyd's Carrot Cake, plus a warm welcome from the Rev. Kelvin A. Spooner and the elders who preserve the church's history.

Hosted by Councilmember Elsie Encarnacion in partnership with Elmendorf Reformed Church, Uptown Grand Central, and the NYC Economic Development Corporation's Harlem African Burial Ground Initiative. Learn more below.

The history:

The village of Nieuw Haarlem (Harlem) was established in 1660. The Low Dutch Reformed Church (predecessor of today’s Elmendorf Reformed Church) was its founding place of worship. The church maintained two cemeteries: One for people of European descent and another for people of African descent.

For more than two centuries, New Yorkers of African descent were buried at the Harlem African Burial Ground. They played a crucial role in the early history of the city, and their history is New York City and Harlem’s history.

The burial ground land was sold in the mid-1800s. Those buried in the European cemetery were relocated to new plots, while those at the Harlem African Burial Ground were left behind. Increasing urbanization caused severe displacement and desecration to the burial ground, with the site later becoming a beer garden and casino, the barracks of the 15th New York National Guard Infantry Regiment, the Third Avenue Railway Company trolley barn, and by 1947, the MTA's 126th Street Bus Depot.

The historic footprint of the Harlem African Burial Ground is located in East Harlem at East 126th Street between First and Se

Music: Jazz / Blues East Harlem (El Barrio)

Schedule & Tickets

Sunday, February 22, 2026 @ 3:00pm · tickets local_activity · add to calendar today 2026-02-22 15:00:00 2026-02-22 18:00:00 America/New_York Sunday Afternoon at Elmendorf - A Blues, Jazz & Soul Concert with the Rakiem Walker Project https://harlemonestop.com/event/34413/sunday-afternoon-at-elmendorf-a-blues-jazz-soul-concert-with-the-rakiem-walker-project Elmendorf Reformed Church, 171 East 121st Street, between Lexington & 3rd Avenues, New York, NY, 10035
FREE