Enslaved Africans with dreams of being free found safety in the heart of NYC. To the naked eye, the 4-story brick row house on East Fourth Street is just another of the 19th-century buildings on a block adorned with dark shutters and time-worn character.

Historical amnesia can threaten freedom, Rev. Nicole P. Guns and others warned Thursday during an Emancipation Proclamation remembrance ceremony at Gary's First Baptist Church.