The African Burial Ground located at 290 Broadway Ave. in New York, New York was rediscovered in 1991, as construction workers were trying to build a new federal building. There was some debate about what should be done, and the local Black community had to fight to make the site a memorial and a national landmark. The bones of the buried Africans were sent to Howard University for research before being sent back to the site and creating somewhat of a cultural celebration along the way.
I visited the burial ground on October 17th. We entered a small museum with some information about the discovery of the bones and the years leading up to the building of the memorial. There was also information about how slaves lived in New York at that time, including a video and some very lifelike statues. We also explored a sort of memorial statue that was an unfinished pyramid on one side and a ship on the other. We all went inside of it in order to imagine the horror and discomfort of the trip to America for slaves. We then learned about some African symbols representing things like endurance, love, and courage. There was also a fountain built in honor of the slaves and their burial ground.
I thought this was a great experience. I really felt closer to seeing how slaves were as people, rather than as I usually see them, abstractly. I thought our speaker, however, talked for so long that everyone lost interest and had a very negative attitude. I felt that he treated us like young children, rather than just acting as a tour guide or allowing us to explore the memorial ourselves. Overall, it was an important experience, and I’m very grateful I had the opportunity to go.
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