African Burial Ground National Monument

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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
Area:	0.345 acre (1,400 m²)
Established:	February 27, 2006
Governing body:	National Park Service

African Burial Ground National Monument at Duane and Elk Streets 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.

African Burial Ground medallion

After a design competition consisting of 61 different proposals for the site, the winning memorial design was chosen in June 2004, and is currently under construction. Despite its construction status, however, the grounds still serve for various cultural exhibitions and events throughout the year.

The site became a source of controversy in the black community of New York City due to the lack of black archaeologists participating in the excavation. In response, control of the site was transferred to African-American Michael Blakey and his team at Howard University.

On February 27, 2006, President George W. Bush signed a proclamation designating the federal land a National Monument, the 390th unit of the National Park System.