Goldman Calls for $15 Million for Museum and Education Center Expansion at African Burial Ground National Monument
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Dan Goldman is calling for $15 million in funding for the African Burial Ground National Monument to be included in the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The funding would support the planning, design, and construction of the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center as an expansion of the existing monument. The African Burial Ground houses 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans who lived and worked in colonial New York, as well as nearly 8,000 personal handwritten messages. Despite the site's astounding archaeological significance, it currently lacks a museum and educational center to properly contextualize its findings.
“The African Burial Ground is an important part of New York City’s history, serving as a permanent tribute to the enslaved and free African men and women who lived in and helped build the foundations of New York,” wrote Rep. Goldman. “Establishing a permanent museum would ensure that our city and nation never forget the important historic contributions that people of African descent have made to the establishment of New York City and the United States of America.”
Rep. Goldman has long advocated for preserving the history of the African Burial Ground. He leads the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center Feasibility Study Act, which would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability of constructing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center adjacent to the African Burial Ground National Monument. He also leads the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center Act, which would establish a Memorial Museum and Education Center to serve as a permanent living tribute to the men and women who were buried at the site.
In December 2024, Congressman Goldman announced a partnership between the African Burial Ground Memorial Foundation and National Park Service (ABGMF), which enables the ABGMF to provide resources and support towards maintaining and operating the site. This announcement follows a letter written by Congressman Goldman’s office in support of the ABGMF’s application of 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status, which was a prerequisite for entering the partnership.
The letter was also signed by Reps. Jamie Raskin (MD-08), William Keating (MA-09), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL).
The full text of the letter is available here or below:
Dear Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Pingree:
As you begin work on the Subcommittee’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, we respectfully request you direct $350,000 to the Secretary of Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing a African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York, NY. We also respectfully request that at least $15 million be provided for the National Park Service construction account for the planning, design, and construction of this museum expansion at the African Burial Ground National Monument.
New York City is home to the earliest and largest African Burial Ground in the United States. In 1991, as construction began for a 34-story federal office tower began, archeologists complying with Section 106 in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 found 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans who lived in worked in colonial New York 30 feet below the city’s street level. In addition, they found nearly 8,000 personal handwritten messages from the living to the African ancestors were also buried with the remains. This find was one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century and an enduring testament to the history of African Americans who not only built this city but also built this country.
In February 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed this African Burial Ground as a national monument. On October 5, 2007, the African Burial Ground National Monument became the first National Monument dedicated to Africans of early New York and Americans of African descent. While the monument provides public programming and a space to honor this sacred and significant piece of history, it currently lacks a museum and education center capable of fully presenting the archaeological findings and cultural legacy associated with the site.
This request supports the establishment of the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center as an expansion of the existing monument. Funding is requested to allow the National Park Service to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study evaluating potential locations, availability, and cost of collections, capital construction requirements, property acquisition needs, and long-term operations and maintenance costs. The National Park Service would then provide its findings to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources. In addition, this request includes $15,000,000 within the National Park Service Construction account for the planning, design, and construction of a museum and education center expansion at African Burial Ground National Monument.
The African Burial Ground is an important part of New York City’s history, serving as a permanent tribute to the enslaved and free African men and women who lived in and helped build the foundations of New York. Establishing a permanent museum would ensure that our city and nation never forget the important historic contributions that people of African descent have made to the establishment of New York City and the United States of America.
Thank you for your consideration.
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