African burial site gets monument in New York

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Sixteen years after an ancient burial ground was rediscovered in lower Manhattan, an African Burial Ground National Monument was dedicated to the freed slaves who were buried there more than 200 years ago.

Tens of thousands of African descendants were laid to rest at the site, according to the Associated Press. However, as the city expanded, the site was forgotten and became buried at least 20 feet under ground.

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It was rediscovered in 1991 during excavations for a federal building, but most of the ground still lies deep beneath the city streets. Remains for about 400 bodies were unearthed there.

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Crowds gathered at the recent dedication ceremony in New York City, which featured speakers including the Rev. James A. Forbes Jr. of Riverside Church near Harlem.

"Forgive us for disregarding your precious gifts to this world," he said about the slaves and free Blacks who were buried there.

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The entryway to the memorial is called "The Door of Return," which is in contrast to the "door of no return," a name given to departure points where slaves were shipped from Africa to North America.

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Alongside the 20-foot-high chamber of gray stone sits a circular court with a map of the lands and waters that once supported the slave trade inscribed in the center. The space has seven grassy mounds marking the sites where some of the disinterred bones were reburied four years ago.

Poet Maya Angelou and actor Sidney Poitier were at the event.

The project cost more than $50 million. A museum also is planned.

The burial ground was closed at the turn of the 19th Century. It was designated a national historic landmark in 1993.

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Last year, the site was declared a national monument.

--Associated Press

--Photos by AP/Bebeto Matthews

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