After years of speculation, New York City officials have found evidence of a forgotten African burial ground located in East Harlem.
The New York Times reports that for years, community organizers have insisted that burial grounds lie beneath what is now a bus station. However, last week, city officials announced that they had found 140 bones and bone fragments at the site, including the skull of a middle-aged African woman.
“We’re very excited,” City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito told the Times. “This is a way of affirming a part of Manhattan history that has been overlooked.”
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Mark-Viverito said that the city would be working with the community to erect a fitting memorial to honor the burial ground. Last week’s discovery comes 25 years after officials discovered another African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan.