African Burial Ground National Monument

Most New Yorkers have no idea that in the 17th and 18th centuries, hundreds of Africans were buried in a 6.6-acre burial ground in Lower Manhattan. When construction workers for a new federal building found the remains of more than 400 Africans in the early '90s in this unmarked cemetery, the truth was uncovered, and in 1991, the African Burial Ground project, a memorial to this sacred site, was launched. Today, the site includes commissioned artwork and a respectful exterior memorial, where many tributes to the deceased and community events have since taken place. The Burial Ground’s visitor center features exhibitions and a 40-seat theater.