Black Is King, Beyoncé's recently released visual album, is all about celebrating the Black identity. This was achieved not only in obvious ways, like with the people who appeared in the visual album and the lyrics of the songs, but also in more covert ways like through the filming locations. Portions of the album were shot across Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, England, Belgium, and the United States. One U.S. location in particular stands out for its meaningful contribution to highlighting the Black experience, and that's Sylvester Manor Educational Farm in Shelter Island, New York.
Sylvester Manor was built in 1652 and was a provisioning plantation for the Barbadian sugar trade. The manor was worked by enslaved Africans, as well as indentured or paid Native American and European labourers. Today, the manor is a community-supported organic educational farm, but it is because of its history as a slaveholding plantation that the manor's grounds were chosen to be featured in Black Is King.
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According to Sylvester Manor Educational Farm's website, for at least a thousand years before Europeans arrived on Shelter Island, the land that now makes up the manor's grounds served as settlements for the Manhansett tribe. A portion of that land is also the burial grounds for as many as 200 enslaved servants and laborers.
Recently, Sylvester Manor Educational Farm posted on Instagram about its appearance in Beyoncé's visual album, writing: "We believe Beyoncé chose our site understanding the cultures who lived and worked together at Sylvester Manor and the importance they have played in the Manor's nearly 400-year history. Beyoncé and her dancers performing on the land of the Manor paid tribute to the Ancestors of Sylvester Manor, invoking their spirits and celebrating their heritage."
Unlike Beverly House, the $135 million Beverly Hills mansion featured in the "Mood 4 Eva" segment of Black Is King, Sylvester Manor is usually open to the public. Unfortunately, Beyoncé fans will have to wait to visit the beautiful and historically significant grounds because the manor is temporarily closed due to COVID-19 concerns. For now, consider checking out the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes or Havasu Falls, which also served as locations in the visual album, and read more about the manor's history and take a virtual tour of the grounds by visiting Sylvester Manor Educational Farm's official website.