Imagine being unable to bury your loved ones with dignity. This is the story of the African Burial Ground National Monument. It stands as a testament to the resilience of enslaved and free Africans in New York City.
The African Burial Ground National Monument is located at Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way. This area in Lower Manhattan holds the remains of over 419 Africans. These people were buried here during the late 17th and 18th centuries. But the story of this site goes much deeper. Historians believe as many as 20000 people may be buried here. This would have been the largest colonial-era cemetery for people of African descent. Most were enslaved.
In the 1600s New York was New Amsterdam. The Dutch West India Company brought enslaved Africans to the area around 1626. Slavery became deeply embedded in the city’s development. By the time of the American Revolution enslaved Africans made up almost a quarter of New York’s population. Only Charleston South Carolina had more enslaved people.
Initially Africans could bury their dead in the Trinity Church graveyard for a fee. But in 1697 Trinity Church barred Africans from interment within the city limits. This led to the creation of the Negroes Burial Ground outside the city’s northern boundary. This area was north of present-day Chambers Street.
After the city closed the cemetery in 1794 the area was developed. Landfill covered the burials and the ground was forgotten. Over time buildings and streets were constructed. The burial ground was largely erased from public memory.
That is until 1991. The General Services Administration GSA discovered the burial ground during pre-construction work for a new federal office building. The discovery sparked immediate concern. The African-American community felt excluded from the planning. They wanted respect for the remains. Protests erupted and construction was halted.
The protests led to significant changes. Control of the burial site was transferred to Howard University. This historically black college ensured African-American scholars participated in the study of their ancestors’ remains. Congress passed a law to cease construction and memorialize the site.
In 1993 the African Burial Ground was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2006 it became a National Monument. The African Burial Ground Memorial was dedicated in 2007. It commemorates the role of Africans and African Americans in New York City and US history.
The memorial includes the Ancestral Chamber and the Circle of the Diaspora. The Ancestral Chamber is made of green granite from Africa. The Circle of the Diaspora features stones from both Africa and North America. These symbolize the connection between the two worlds.
In 2003 the remains of 419 individuals were reinterred in the Ancestral Reinterment Grove. The ceremony included the Rites of Ancestral Return. The skeletons were placed in hand-carved wooden coffins from Ghana.
A visitor center opened in 2010. It features exhibits about the history of the burial ground and African-American life in New York. The African Burial Ground National Monument stands as a place of remembrance. It honors the lives and contributions of those who were once forgotten. It reminds us of the importance of remembering and learning from the past. The African Burial Ground’s rediscovery changed how New York understands its early African-American history.