Aug. 2-4, 2010
![]() This long-forgotten history is best reflected at African Burial Ground National Monument (pictured above), a 6.6-acre burial ground in Lower Manhattan that was used for both free and enslaved Africans from the 1690s until 1794. The burial ground was lost for generations and not re-discovered until 1991 when excavators were preparing the land at 290 Broadway for a new federal building. Placing New York’s slavery practices into context, Dr. Leslie Harris writes, “As in the South, black slave labor was central to the day-to-day survival and the economic life of Europeans in the colonial North, and no part of the colonial North relied more heavily on slavery than Manhattan…. Under both the Dutch and the British, slaves performed vital agricultural tasks in the rural areas surrounding New York City…. In the eighteenth century, only Charleston and New Orleans exceeded New York City in number of slaves.” |
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![]() “A century and a half after the Civil War, forms of slavery continue to exist in the world, including in the United States. This Mobile Museum brings to light this modern tragedy and should inspire us to take action against it.”
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![]() Above, Deputy Mayor of Legal Affairs Carol Robles-Roman and Deputy Counsel Norma Abbene speak with the CIW’s Julia Perkins about the city’s “Let’s End Human Trafficking” initiative and the Campaign for Fair Food. |
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![]() Again in the evening, the museum was the place to be as community members got off work and visited, including members of Brandworkers International and the Global Action Project. |
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![]() But by any reasonable standard, the three-day visit was a smashing success, made possible, in large part, by the tireless efforts of the Community/Farmworker Alliance (who are preparing to turn the heat up on NYC grocery fave Trader Joe’s) and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI). Thanks to one and all who came out to the museum and continue to stand by the CIW in the Campaign for Fair Food! Next stop: Quincy, MA! |