Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, selected by The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Harlem African Burial Ground Initiative (HABGI) to lead community engagement.
The efforts for the Harlem African Burial Ground, have chosen Architect Rodney Leon as a Special Advisor to the project.
Mr. Leon is the designer of the African Burial Ground Memorial in Lower Manhattan and the “Ark of Return” Permanent Memorial to the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade at the United Nations.
“… created in 1668 as a cemetery for deceased enslaved and free Africans in Harlem …”
The site, located on East 126th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues, was originally created in 1668 as a cemetery for deceased enslaved and free Africans in Harlem, which was part of a Dutch colony at the time.
In August of 2023 the NYCEDC and HABGI announced a new phase of archaeological work on the site. The proposed project will feature a memorial, cultural center and affordable housing development.
HABGI is part of Mayor Eric Adams’s “24 in 24” plan to make progress on 24 affordable housing projects in 2024 which will preserve and develop 12,000 units of housing in NYC.
HABGI is led by former District 8 City Council Member and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Pastor Emeritus of Elmendorf Reform Church Rev. Dr. Patricia A. Singletary, former Manhattan Deputy Borough Historian Sharon Wilkins, and former Legislative Advisor and East Harlem resident Melinda Velez.
Photo credit: Rodney Leon.
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