IN THE NEWS: African Burial Ground National Monument Now Open

In 1991, during the construction of a Federal office building at 290 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, excavators unearthed the largest colonial-era cemetery for enslaved Africans in America. Fast forward to today and we now have a new national monument, which is a tribute to these slaves—the African Burial Ground National Monument. The monument serves as a permanent resting-place for the 419 slaves whose remains were found at the site.

It’s estimated that thousands of slaves still have their remains buried under office buildings, high rises, streets, and parking lots located around the bustling city.

The monument not only houses the remains of the slaves, but it also has artifacts recovered from the site. An interpretive center is being created to inform, engage, and enlighten visitors about the historical, archeological, and cultural findings surrounding the burial ground and New York's ancestral African community.

The official web site for this national monument is located at: http://www.africanburialground.gov/ABG_Main.htm

For more information, you can contact:

African Burial Ground National Monument
National Park Service
290 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
Phone: 212-637-2019