National Feedback Requested on African Burial Ground Memorial
Design Finalists, and First Anniversary Commemoration of Re-interment Rites
for Colonial Africans Planned

Nation Can Post Responses to Designs on Website, September 7 - October 8

Major "Rites" Celebrations to Take Place Throughout New York City, October 1-3

WASHINGTON, DC (August 2004) - The American public - and the world -- has an opportunity to comment on five revised designs proposed as a permanent memorial for the African Burial Ground Site in Lower Manhattan. The National Park Service (NPS) and the General Services Administration (GSA) have requested national feedback on the competing memorial designs to be unveiled on the Web site www.africanburialground.com from September 7- October 8. During the same dates, there will be a New York City exhibition showcasing the five revised memorial designs. Plans call for the winning memorial design to be announced in Fall 2004.

In addition, plans for "Africans in the Americas: Celebrating the Ancestral Heritage," the first anniversary commemoration of the 2003 "Rites of Ancestral Return" were announced by Howard Dodson, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The celebration will mark the anniversary of the sacred reburial of the remains of 419 enslaved Africans at the African Burial Memorial Site and will take place from Friday, October 1 through Sunday, October 3 in Lower Manhattan (a location considered by many to be "the first Ground Zero") and at faith institutions throughout New York City.

In 1991, during the construction of a Federal office building at 290 Broadway in lower Manhattan, excavators unearthed a portion of the largest colonial-era cemetery for enslaved and free Africans in America. The remains of more than 400 Africans were discovered. Through this discovery, it is now estimated that 20,000 African men, women, and children were buried in the African Burial Ground between the late 1600s and 1795, revealing the fact that New York City in 1700 was 20 percent African. The discovery caused a sensation and renewed awareness of the cultural significance and historic preservation of African American history in New York The memorial may also be a reminder of the important experience and major contributions that free and enslaved African men, women, and children made to the economy, development, and culture of New York City and America.

"Thanks to the efforts of many federal agencies, academic institutions and individuals, we have added critical new information to the history of America. The legacy of the African Burial Ground is of lasting and significant benefit for this generation and for all generations to come," said Stephen A. Perry, Administrator of General Services Administration.

"The African Burial Ground is one of America's most important historic sites. The National Park Service is taking this opportunity to help tell the story of the African Burial Ground and to build the public constituency to support the future management of the site. We are delighted to help the public take part in this memorialization process," said Tara Morrison, National Park Service project manager for African Burial Ground Technical Assistance Project. "We hope many people turn out, reflect and share thoughts on the meaning of the site and the appropriate way to memorialize the African Burial Ground, and give us your best feelings and thoughts for the benefit of future generations of Americans."

"The African Burial Ground is the most significant archaeological find in New York City history," said Mr. Dodson. "In October 2003, we ensured that our ancestors were reburied with the dignity, respect and honor that their service to African Americans, New Yorkers, and Americans, in general, deserve.

"On October 1-3, 2004, we will honor the lives of those interred at the African Burial Ground while exploring their legacies through a prism of multidisciplinary scholarly and artistic perspectives. The commemoration will encompass a range of activities designed to involve interfaith leaders, schoolchildren, and other segments of the public interested in the contributions of Africans to the development of the city and the nation."

October event highlights include: the marking of African American historic sites throughout lower Manhattan; placement of wreaths at burial sites around the Tweed Building and City Hall Park; participation of New York City schoolchildren and drummers in a Ring-Shout around the perimeter of the African Burial Ground; a street renaming ceremony at the African Burial Ground Memorial Site; an overnight public vigil; guided tours of African American historic sites in the area; involvement of faith institutions in tributes to the ancestors during their services; a concert; and a tribute ceremony with performances and readings of performers from Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil and the U.S. reflecting the theme "Africans in the Americas: Celebrating the Ancestral Heritage."

The National Park Service has been asked by GSA to work with the public and to help with the selection process of the memorial design and to develop recommendations for the interpretation and long-term stewardship of the African Burial Ground. In Fall 2004, NPS will release a draft report of its findings; which will be available to the public for comment. As a National Historic Landmark, the African Burial Ground is eligible for NPS assistance. For more information and to view and comment on the Memorial Design submissions, visit: www.africanburialground.com

CAPTION
(L-R) Howard Dodson, Chief, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Stephen A. Perry, Administrator of General Services Administration; and Tara Morrison, National Park Service project manager for African Burial Ground Technical Assistance Project, discuss the local, national and international significance of New York City's African Burial Ground with members of the African American, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American press during the recent UNITY Journalists of Color conference in Washington, DC. Visit www.africanburialground.com for information on one of the most significant archaeological finds in U.S. history, and to offer your views on proposed Memorial Designs for the site in Lower Manhattan.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ron Ceasar

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Bernice E. Green
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Fern Gillespie
Public Relations
UniWorld Group, Inc.
T- 212-219-7173
fgillespie@uniworldgroup.com