The African Burial Ground - Tammy

      My experience at the African Burial Ground in New York City had a major impact in how I viewed slavery in relation to modern day times. Usually during history class, one only hears about slavery in the south or mid-atlantic states; however, the African Burial Ground enlightened me about the treatment and jobs of slaves in the northern territories. Although the wind was whipping and the temperature was around 55 degrees, I gained a lot from my experience in New York City.
      The first thing I did when I got the Burial Ground was go inside the museum and watch the documentary about how the Burial Ground came to be. It was amazing to see how so many people around the country, not just blacks, gathered as a united front against the desecration of this historic cite. I couldn't believe that the government was actually going to build over the Burial Ground and actually tried to defend their actions in court. All I could think of during this scene was how differently the government would have reacted if they would have found the remains of Europeans instead of the remains of African slaves. Despite the government's insistence to build a building over the cite, people from across America rallied together and got their sentiments heard in court. They made everyone realize the significance and importance of these bones. The bones were then taken to Howard and scientifically analyzed here. I find it fascinating that Howard seems to play an integral part in major issues in America. If I would have known just how great the legacy is at Howard, there would have been no debating as to which university I was going to attend.
      During the second part of my trip at the African Burial Ground, I listened to the guide as he gave the historical background of the monument built to the slaves buried there. As I walked around the bottom half of the monument and looked around at the various symbols from the different African languages, I was in awe at how beautiful yet literal some the symbols were. Symbols like the Sankofa appeared throughout multiple symbols because Africans and now African-Americans stress the importance of learning for our past and building a better future. Towards the end of our trip our tour leader asked all of us to stand inside of the monument that was built to look like a ship in order for us to understand what it was like to be on a slave ship and feel the lack of space. This was a very powerful experience because it allowed us to get one step closer to our ancestors and feel what they felt as they made the journey to America. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the African Burial Ground and would love to come back some other day.