STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On Staten Islands South Shore sits a rich piece of history, and a Staten Island woman has created a Change.org petition to make it a required part of the New York public school curriculum.

Sandy Ground, located in Rossville, was an oystering village established, in part, by people who were freed from enslavement in 1827.

It is the oldest continuously inhabited free settlement for persons of African descent in the United States; is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad; and is now home to landmarked historic structures and the Sandy Ground Historical Society.

The woman who created the petition, who asked to be identified by her first name, Renee, was disappointed to see that the iconic piece of Staten Island history wasnt included in her sons fourth grade social studies curriculum.

The 39-year-old Rosebank mom said that part of the fourth grade curriculum set by the Department of Education (DOE) is the history of New York.

We got [my sons] social studies textbook in the mail from the DOE, Renee told the Advance/SILive.com. The book is actually really good, and it has the history of Irish, Italian, Jewish immigrants, Native Americans, and some Black history, too. It just made me think -- hey, what about Sandy Ground?

Sylvia DAlessandro, executive director and founding member of the Sandy Ground Historical Society, is a descendant of the original families of the community and grew up there.

It should be told as a part of Staten Islands story, DAlessandro said. This community made significant contributions to Staten Island since it began. Its an important part of New Yorks history as a whole.

Public historian Debbie-Ann Paige, whose expertise is in the history of communities of color on Staten Island, agrees that Sandy Ground is a vital part of New Yorks past.

If youre telling the story of New York, you would have to include Sandy Ground, as a free community that is still in existence, said Paige. The community carries through all of the nuances in terms of the history of Black people in the nation.

A SHARED HISTORY

Renee says she first learned about Sandy Ground 20 years ago while attending the College of Staten Island, when a friend who is a descendant of the settlement taught her about it.

For her kids, and for the diverse youth on Staten Island, Renee says learning about Sandy Ground will allow them to claim ownership and be proud of their home borough.

My kids were born and raised on Staten Island, and I want them to have that type of pride in the borough that theyre from, she said. I think having history thats relevant to the kids in New York City is important. The kids of New York City are from all different backgrounds.

Connecting students to the settlements history is among the goals of the Sandy Ground Historical Society -- the Society hosts onsite field trips, mainly for Staten Island students from third to fifth grade, though schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan have started visiting in recent years, DAlessandro said.

It should be taught in the schools, by the teachers, in the textbooks as they talk about Staten Island and its growth, said DAlessandro. All of the people that make the community up need to be included.

Learning about people from diverse backgrounds also helps tackle racism at its root, says Paige.

Its not just that children of African descent need to see themselves reflected in school literature, but children who have been racialized as white -- which most of us have been -- and identify as white need to see the importance and the contributions of people of African descent to the nations founding and continuous history, Paige explained.

Students need to learn that everybody is included in the greatness of the United States. We are all shared in that history, Paige added.

WHERE BETTER THAN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM?'

The time is right to seek change, says Renee.

Across the nation, there has been a reinvigorated conversation about racial equity and justice, following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

If were going to make a lot of changes, where better than the education system? Renee asked.

She also wants to break down barriers on Staten Island.

Everyone has the stereotype of Staten Island, that its a certain type of way, she told the Advance/SILive.com. And the truth is that its not like that, and it has never been like that.

Its not just a new thing that Staten Island [is] diverse; its always been diverse, she added.

DAlessandro agrees.

Staten Island is not presented as a place that is particularly diverse, she said. This gives a different perspective of Staten Island. The [Sandy Ground] community was allowed to continue and exist here on Staten Island through the turmoil that the country went through.

Paige says records exist as far back as the 18th century that illustrate the boroughs diversity. The 1790 Census shows 20-25% of the people who lived on Staten Island at that time were of African descent, she said.

Over the years, people have come to assume that the South Shore has always been a white community, and it just happened to have this enclave of people of African descent living there, but historical documents show thats not so, Paige explained.

And there is so much more, too, for students to learn about the rich history of communities of color on Staten Island, from North Shore stops on the Underground Railroad to early integrated communities in Stapleton.

Of the Underground Railroad on Staten Island, Paige says she sometimes refers to the borough as The Gateway to Freedom.

When we talk about Staten Island, were talking national and international history, Paige explained. If you talk about the history of people of African descent in New York, you have to include Staten Island in it.

REPRESENTATION, ACCURACY AND DIVERSITY

Renee is pushing to get as many signatures as she can on the petition she started. As of Thursday, nearly 700 people had signed.

All NYC children have the right to learn their history, the petition reads. All NYC children need culturally relevant history. The history of NYC is incomplete without teaching about Sandy Ground and the rich history of African Americans on Staten Island.

Currently, the petition is addressed to the DOE, NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and District 31 Executive Superintendent Anthony Lodico.

We are demanding that Sandy Ground and the robust African American history of Staten Island be a required part of NYC DOE Curriculum for all students, the petition says. Representation, accuracy and diversity is paramount in teaching history.

After sending an initial letter, Renee plans to get her petition and message in front of different schools, parent-teacher associations and anyone who will listen and help.

DAlessandro said that if action is taken from the petition, the Sandy Ground Historical Society will absolutely coordinate with the DOE to help create educational materials.

I believe that they are open to these things, and I believe that we can make this change, Renee said. I think this is a victory that can be easily won once brought to the DOEs attention.

While not a required part of DOE curriculum, a spokesperson for the agency said that their Passport to Social Studies program encourages curriculum that explores the citys diverse people and cultures.

Weve made unprecedented strides to foster culturally responsive education for all our students, and weve worked to ensure DOE-created curricula includes a diverse range of communities and topics, said DOE spokeswoman Danielle Filson.

Our Passport to Social Studies curriculum recommends a field trip to Sandy Ground and while schools choose their own curricula, we encourage them to integrate important local history like this into their lessons, she said.

The Passport to Social Studies curriculum -- which includes lesson plans about different ethnicities, the LGBTQ+ community, and more -- has been adopted by 80% of elementary and middle schools, according to Filson.

MORE ON THE RICH HISTORY OF SANDY GROUND

Ferry boat operator Capt. John Jackson became the first person of African descent to own property on Staten Island at Sandy Ground on Feb. 23, 1828, seven months after slavery was abolished in New York.

Sandy Ground was settled by other persons of African descent who were oystermen from Chesapeake Bay fleeing the restrictive industry laws of Maryland. Within walking distance of the Princes Bay docks and the abundant oyster beds of the Raritan Bay, they found prosperity and freedom from persecution there.

Once a flourishing community of more than 150 families of African descent, a collection of historic structures are still found at Sandy Ground, five of which are designated as New York City landmarks, including a church, three residential structures and the cemetery.

Historians have suggested that the center of the community, the A.M.E. Zion Church, may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, as Capt. Jackson brought people who were enslaved to Staten Island and New Jersey aboard the ferry boat he owned and operated. Descendants of Sandy Ground settlers still worship at the church.

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