Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest & Ninevah Subdivisions (SANS) is an African American beachfront community in Sag Harbor, New York.
Founded following World War II, the SANS community served primarily as a summer retreat for middle-class African American families during the post-WWII and Jim Crow era.
In March of 2019, SANS was named to the New York State Register of Historic Places. SANS made its way onto the National Register of Historic Places just a few months later. In December of 2019, SANS was among those honored with a State Historic Preservation Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation Organizational Achievement.
The SANS Steering Committee was honored again in June of 2020 when Preservation Long Island presented a 2020 Project Excellence Award to SANS for their National Register Survey & Nomination.
Terri Wisdom, founder, and CEO of Harlem Network News has close familial ties to the SANS region. We caught up with her to find out more about this historic neighborhood and her work at Harlem Network News.
In this interview, Terri shares:
- The early history of Sag Harbor’s SANS region
- Sag Harbor’s connection to the “Amistad” movie.
- How gentrification is affecting the area
- The importance of preserving historic Black neighborhoods.
- The importance and benefits of having a local media outlet in Harlem
- The Harlem Network News initiative to bring Brittney Griner home
