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African Burial Ground Commemoration: A Unique Opportunity for Artists and Community
The African Burial Ground was cemetery in lower Manhatan used by New York City s enslaved and free Africans from at least 1712 until 1827 when slavery was outlawed in New York. It was located in a desolate area then outside the city limits. No one knows exactly how large the original burial ground was, but historians speculate that it may have covered five city blocks, including the current City Hall Park. There is also well-founded speculation that it may have held the remains of as many as 20,000 people. Relatively little is known about these people and even less is known about their funeral practices. What is certain, however, is that the burial ground was covered over and effectively forgotten as Manhattan began its northerly growth. It remained essentially hidden from history until 1991 when it was rediscovered as ground was being broken for a new federal building to be built by the U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) near City Hall. Ultimately the remains of 427 people, mostly children, as well as numerous artifacts, were uncovered.
The rediscovery of The Burial Ground initially touched off a firestorm of public and private controversy, which echoed from houses of worship to the House of Representatives. Some people were angered by the disturbance of any burial ground. On the other hand, the government wanted to quell the controversy and maintain its construction schedule, which, at one point, had been halted by community agitation. Still others, upset that the rediscovered remains and literally hundreds of artifacts had been moved to Lehman College, wanted the project placed under the scientific care of people of African descent. Eventually the remains were relocated to Howard University, where they are currently being studied by a team of anthropologists and historians under the direction of biological anthropologist Dr Michael L. Blakey. The team's study of the remains has already yielded critical information about how these men, women and children lived and died. This study tentatively scheduled for completion in 1999 -- promises to increase the breadth...