United Nations to Partner with National Parks Service in Marking 25 Years since Discovery of New York City’s African Burial Ground
The Department of Public Information will partner with the National Parks Service (NPS) to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the discovery of the African Burial Ground, where the remains of former slaves were recovered in 1991. The United Nations Remember Slavery Programme will participate in the event, which will take place on Thursday, 31 March 2016, at the African Burial Ground National Monument located at 290 Broadway in New York City.
Beginning in the morning with a special programme organized for two classes of fourth grade students from Luis Lorens Torres School in the Bronx, the commemoration will include the screening of two short films, one on The Ark of Return, the United Nations Permanent Memorial to honour the victims of slavery, and another about the history of the African Burial Ground.
Students will then have an opportunity to ask questions and learn about the important role that slaves played in the development of New York as a major port city and how, despite the racial injustices they endured, the Africans were able to preserve many of their cultural practices. Students will create their own memorials to honour the victims of slavery during a hands-on art activity led by two professional New York City art teachers, Derick “D” Cross and Tafa Fiadzigbe. A tour of the African Burial Ground and exhibition will conclude the students’ activities.
At 6 p.m. there will be a screening of Part 1 of the documentary Then I’ll Be Free to Travel Home: the Legacy of the NY African Burial Ground, narrated by the legendary Lena Horne. The 86-minute film chronicles the discovery of the African Burial Ground and the historical contributions of the original Africans and their descendants who founded it. The documentary kicks off the Media Magic Mt. Vernon International Film Festival. For more information, visit www.mediamagicevted.org.
A panel discussion on “The Impact and Legacy of Slavery on Black Lives, Black Images and Black Culture” immediately follows the film screening. Television anchor Carol Jenkins will moderate a panel comprising Omyma David, Focal Point for the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme; J.E. Franklin, author and playwright; Sharon Wilkins, public historian and genealogist; Sean Ghazala, NPS park ranger at the African Burial Ground National Monument; and Eric V. Tait, Jr., filmmaker, writer, producer and director. The film screening is open to the public, who can register via e-mail: africanburialground@nps.gov or tel.: +1 212 238 4367.
It is believed that from about the 1690s until 1794, both free and enslaved Africans were buried in a 6.6-acre burial ground in lower Manhattan, outside the boundaries of the New Amsterdam settlement, later known as New York. The African Burial Ground National Monument now stands as a sacred space in Manhattan to honour those victims of slavery. It was designed by Rodney Leon, an American architect of Haitian descent, who also designed The Ark of Return, unveiled on the United Nations Visitors’ Plaza in 2015 by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to permanently honour the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.
The United Nations Remember Slavery Programme of the Education Outreach Section was established by the General Assembly in 2007 to honour the memory of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. It aims to provide an understanding of the causes, consequences and lessons of the slave trade, as well as raise awareness of the dangers of racism and prejudice today. The theme for the 2016 educational activities is “Remember Slavery: Celebrating the Heritage and Culture of the African Diaspora and Its Roots”.
For more information, contact Omyma David at e-mail: david17@un.org or visit www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday/.