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African Burial Ground National Monument
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Location	New York, New York, USA
Coordinates	40°42′52″N 74°0′15″W / 40.71444, -74.00417
Area	0.345 acre (1,400 m²)
Established	February 27, 2006
Governing body	National Park Service

African Burying Ground
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Location:	New York, New York
Coordinates:	40°42′49.21″N, 73°59′37.85″W
Architect:	Rodney Leon
Designated as NHL:	April 19, 1993
Added to NRHP:	April 19, 1993
Governing body:	GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

African Burial Ground National Monument at Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way (Elk Street) in Lower Manhattan (New York City) preserves a site containing the remains of over 400 Africans, buried during the 17th and 18th-centuries. The remains were found during the construction of the Foley Square Federal office building in 1991. Construction was halted in time to properly preserve the remains, and a redesign of the building was ordered to provide adequate room for a memorial. On April 19, 1993, the site was designated a National Historic Landmark.^[2],^[3],^[4]

The site is believed to have been the interment location for as many as 15,000 to 20,000 African-American men, women, and children over the years of its use, which stretched from the 17th century to its closure in 1812.^[5] New York Congressman David Paterson is reported to have dubbed the grounds "our Ellis Island".^[5]

The site became a source of controversy in the black community of New York City due to poor research design originally proposed for the excavation. Initial excavations did not treat the uncovered remains with reverence and respect. In addition, the descendant community in New York City was not consulted in the development of the research design, nor were any archaeologists with experience studying the African diaspora. After protests from a coalition of community members, politicians, and scholars, control of the site was transferred to Michael Blakey and his team at Howard University.

On February 27, 2006, President George W. Bush signed a proclamation designating the federal land as the 123rd National Monument.^[6] It was the 390th unit of the National Park System.

As part of the dedication ceremonies, Elk Street was officially renamed African Burial Ground Way.^[7]

After a design competition consisting of 61 different proposals for the site, the winning memorial design was chosen in June 2004 and was dedicated on October 5, 2007. The grounds serves for various cultural exhibitions and events throughout the year.

The memorial design for a 25-foot granite monument was by Haitian-American architect Rodney Leon^[8], and is titled The Door of Return, in reference to The Door of No Return, a name given to slave ports on the coast of West Africa.^[9] The monument was dedicated in a ceremony presided by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and poet Maya Angelou.^[9]

• African Burial Ground National Monument - Official NPS website
• African Burial Ground National Monument presidential proclamation
• Announcement of National Monument proclamation
• African Burial Ground Informational site - GSA

• African Burial Ground National Monument is at coordinates 40°42′52″N 74°00′16″W / 40.714558, -74.004384Coordinates: 40°42′52″N 74°00′16″W / 40.714558, -74.004384

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