Reinterment Ceremonies

Maya Angelou, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Congressman Jerrold Nadler at the Memorial's Dedication Ceremony October 5, 2007

National Park Service

The Rites of Ancestral Return commemorative ceremony, which began with an Evening Departure Ceremony at Howard University, documented and celebrated the contribution of African Americans as the ancestral remains from the African Burial Ground were returned from Washington, D.C., to New York City. The remains were given a permanent resting-place at the African Burial Ground Memorial Site on October 4, 2003.

 

Coffins on display at the location of our outdoor memorial prior to their reinterment.

National Park Service