African Burial Ground National Monument
A memorial site where a historic graveyard was discovered
The African Burial Ground has been called one of the most important archaeological, historical, cultural and spiritual finds of our time. Dating back to the 17th century, the burial ground was designated a national monument in 2006 by President Bush, and opened to the public in 2007. A chilling reminder of a dark period in America's history, this sacred site gives voice to the free and enslaved African men, women and children who lived and died in New York in the 17th and 18th centuries and greatly contributed to the growth of America. It is the only U.S. national monument that memorializes the struggles of Africans forcefully brought here and others of African descent who have endured the injustices of slavery, segregation and discrimination.
Unearthed in 1991 during the construction of the Ted Weiss federal building in Lower Manhattan, an estimated 15,000 free and enslaved Africans were interred in this seven-acre burial ground, making it the oldest and largest African cemetery excavated in all of North America. While slavery is most often associated in the public's mind with the South, on the eve of the American Revolution, New York City actually had the largest population of enslaved Africans after Charleston, South Carolina.
After the burial ground was discovered, four hundred and nineteen ancestral remains were removed from the site and taken to Howard University for scientific study. They were re-interred on October 4, 2003 at the African Burial Ground National Monument after a funeral procession on Broadway in Lower Manhattan, lead by prominent African American leaders. The outdoor memorial designed by Rodney Leon is a living tribute to past, present and future generations. In February 2010, A new visitor center and exhibition opened on the ground floor of the Ted Weiss Federal Building at 290 Broadway.
