Congressman Adriano Espaillat Joins Others To Introduce African Burial Ground Museum

Congressman Adriano Espaillat joined members of the New York Delegation to re-introduce the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Education Center Act:

“It has been nearly 400 years since the first African slaves were brought to the United States, marking the beginning of one of the darkest periods of our nation’s history,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat.  “Establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center in New York, where the remains of nearly 20,000 enslaved Africans and early-generation African-Americans from the colonial era are buried, is a tremendous way to reflect on the significant suffering and injustice slavery had throughout the United States.  We can never forget the horrors that were inflicted through slavery, and the African Burial Ground Memorial will play an important role in our ability to better understand the past and honor the history that all groups of people have had to American culture and our continued crusade for freedom and justice for all.”  

The African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Education Center Act legislation would authorize funding and establish a museum at the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan.  The proposed site is located within the African Burial Ground National Historic Landmark, an area in Lower Manhattan near City Hall that holds the remains of an estimated 20,000 enslaved Africans and early-generation African-Americans from the colonial era.  The legislation, led by Senators Schumer and Gillibrand in the Senate and Congressman Nadler in the House would establish a museum and educational center managed by the National Park Service in consultation with the African Burial Ground Advisory Council.

The African Burial Ground officially became a National Historic Landmark in 1993; and in 2006, was officially designated a National Monument.