Public Invited to Provide Input on the Future of African Burial Ground National Monument

Date: November 20, 2009
Contact: Mindi Rambo, 212-668-2208

New York, NY – The National Park Service (NPS) invites members of the public to a series of four Open Houses that are part of the General Management Plan (GMP) process for the African Burial Ground National Monument. Once complete, the GMP will guide how this sacred site in downtown Manhattan will educate and inspire people around the world during the next 20 years.

The NPS is at a stage in the planning process where preliminary alternatives for managing the African Burial Ground’s resources and the visitor experience have emerged. These preliminary alternatives help the NPS explore different ways the site could be managed. Once fully developed, one of these alternatives could be selected as the “preferred” alternative or a new one could emerge that combines ideas from the other preliminary alternative or an outside source.

Members of the public are encouraged to come to the open houses in Harlem, Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan where they will be able to explore, discuss, and comment on the preliminary alternatives.

Monday, November 30: 2 p.m. -7 p.m.
Brooklyn College Student Center, 2nd Floor Campus Road at East 27th Street Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday, December 1: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Ted Weiss Federal Building 290 Broadway, 7th Floor, Lower Manhattan All visitors must show identification and go through to a standard security procedures.

Wednesday, December 2: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture 515 Malcolm X Blvd (Lenox Ave) New York, New York

Thursday, December 3: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.
House of the Lord Church 415 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, New York For more information about the African Burial Ground National Monument, please visit www.nps.gov/afbg or call 212-637-2019.