African Burial Ground NM Commemorates 25th Anniversary With Film Debut, Panel Discussion

The outside memorial at African Burial Ground National Monument, designed by Rodney Leon.

NPS PHOTO

News Release Date: March 28, 2016

Contact: John Harlan Warren, acting public affairs officer, 917-829-0425

NEW YORK – On Thursday, March 31, join African Burial Ground National Monument, the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme, and EVT Educational Productions, Inc. for a 25th anniversary commemoration of the rediscovery of New York City's African Burial Ground.

This National Park Service site will screen Then I'll Be Free to Travel Home: The Legacy of the NY African Burial Ground and The Ark of Return: The United Nations Memorial to Honor the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Screenings will be followed by a panel discussion on the impact and legacy of slavery, moderated by veteran television anchor Carol Jenkins. Panelists include: J.E. Franklin, playwright of Black Girl; Sharon Wilkins, Deputy Borough Historian of Manhattan; Omyma David, representing the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme; Sean Ghazala, African Burial Ground Park Ranger, and;Eric V. Tait, Jr., filmmaker of Then I'll Be Free to Travel Home: The Legacy of the NY African Burial Ground.

All events and activities are free and open to the public. Space, however, is limited. A 5:30 P.M. arrival is suggested. Please e-mail us to reserve your spot. Schedule is subject to change.

The visitor center entrance, located at 290 Broadway, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. It is closed on Thanksgiving and December 25. For more information about visiting the park, visit www.nps.gov/afbg or follow us on Twitter @AfBurialGrndNPS and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AfricanBurialGround.

About African Burial Ground National Monument

One of the most significant archaeological finds in U.S. History, the African Burial Ground is a 17th- and 18th-century cemetery that was rediscovered in 1991 when construction began on a federal office building in lower Manhattan. In 1993, the site was preserved as a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior and was later designated as a National Monument by Presidential Proclamation on Feb. 27, 2006. The National Monument is part of an original 6.6-acre site containing the remains of approximately 15,000 people, making it the largest African cemetery excavated in North America.

~NPS~