Congressman Dan Goldman and Senator Gillibrand Advocate for Mayoral Support for African Burial Ground Museum at 22 Reade Street
African Burial Ground One of the Most Historically Important Monuments to Black History in NYC
Site Currently Holds Remains of Estimate 15,000 Free and Enslaved Africans, Early-Generation African Americans from Colonial Era
Proposed Museum and Education Center to Serve as Sister Site to National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
Read the Letter Here
New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) yesterday led six members of the New York delegation in a letter to New York City Mayor Eric Adams urging his continued support for the establishment of a world-class museum and education center dedicated to the African American experience at 22 Reade Street in Manhattan, next to the site of the African Burial Ground (ABG). The letter was also signed by Congressmembers Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), and Grace Meng (NY-06).
“We strongly urge the City to continue to plan to use the building at 22 Reade Street, which is located in the ABG National Historic Landmark and City Historic District, for this project,” the Members wrote. “The building was vacated by the City Planning Department in 2015 and has been held, through intervention by the City Council, in consideration for the ABG museum and education center. With your support and our pending federal legislation, we can ensure that the critically important history and experiences of Africans and African Americans in early New York are shared with the world.”
Mayor Adams has been a productive partner in ensuring that the African Burial Ground Museum becomes a reality, working in coordination with the City’s Congressional delegation to advance this project. As the process moves forward, the letter’s signatories are encouraging the siting of the museum at 22 Reade Street in Manhattan because the land is owned by the City and because of its proximity to the existing African Burial Ground National Monument.
The African Burial Ground Museum and education center would be managed by the National Park Service in consultation with the African Burial Ground Advisory Council, which would be established by the legislation. The museum and education center will also serve as a sister site to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
The museum would host complementary exhibits and foster collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C as well as other museums, historically Black colleges and universities, historical societies and educational institutions, creating a stronger network of groups focused on strengthening our understanding of slavery and its lasting impact on our history.
The African Burial Ground site currently holds the remains of an estimated 15,000 free and enslaved Africans and early-generation African Americans from the colonial era and is one of the most historically important monuments to Black History in New York.
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