African Burial Ground National Monument Hosts Special Programs for Black History Month

The African Burial Ground National Monument has announced its Special Programs for Black History Month 2013. Details below!

February 1-28, 2013 Public Flower Laying: Honoring the Ancestors
9-4PM Members of the public are invited to lay flowers on the burial mounds at the memorial throughout Black History Month.

Thursday, February 7, 2013: Special Tour of Commemorative Art
Noon Reflections of Honor and Glory - Join a park ranger for a breathtaking tour of artwork that depicts and celebrates the lives of Africans and African descendants buried in the African Burial Ground.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013: African Burial Ground National Monument Film Series
11AM Freedom's Sisters (21 minutes, Courtesy of Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services) - Learn the stories of 20 extraordinary women like Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, Shirley Chisholm, Betty Shabazz, and Coretta Scott King who helped to pave the way for civil rights in America.

2PM Booker T. Washington: The Life and the Legacy (31.30 minutes) - Born enslaved, Booker T. Washington would become an educator and great orator. He founded Tuskegee Institute which was established to educate newly freed people after the American Civil War.

Thursday, February 14, 2013: Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration
10-4PM Quotes made by Frederick Douglass will be read by staff throughout the day.

11AM Underground Railroad (30 minutes) - This movie demonstrates how a network of secretive routes and abolitionists assisted runaways to gain their freedom from bondage.

Noon Nana Kimati Dinizulu featuring his Grits and Cornbread Ensemble - Internationally renown African percussionist Nana Kimati Dinizulu and his ensemble will perform a musical tribute to Frederick Douglass. Visitors will hear traditional instruments from Africa and its diaspora along with contemporary western instruments; and, the performance will feature some African American endangered musical instruments such as the diddley bow, one string jitterbug, and the jug which are rare instruments found in black culture in the United States of America.

2PM Frederick Douglass: An American Life (32.50 minutes) - Enjoy this documentary film that explores the life and times of a fugitive slave who became a spokesman against slavery and first black to receive a major government appointment in the United States.

Saturday, February 16, 2013: Family and Friends Day
Noon Treasuring Your Family's Keepsakes - Join a park ranger for a workshop that teaches visitors how to preserve their family's photographs, memorabilia, jewelry, and heirlooms in a specially crafted and designed African memory box. Attendees are encouraged to bring personal items to help decorate their own boxes.

2PM Female Leadership: Triumphs of African Women Throughout History - Women have contributed significantly to the growth of this country and to the advancement of humanity throughout the world. Learn their exciting stories!

Saturday, February 23, 2013: Roots of Inspiration
1PM Roots of Inspiration: A Tribute to Female Pioneers in Music - This program explores how African traditions and techniques have become a part of African American musical tradition.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013: Happy Founder's Day
9-4PM Pouring of Libation - The public is invited to pour libations on the burial mounds in honor of the establishment of the African Burial Ground as a National Monument by Presidential Proclamation on February 27, 2006.

11AM Gallery Talk: "African Burial Practices and Customs" - Learn how African burials provided opportunities to celebrate the lives of loved ones, continue rituals and ceremonies, and to pass down traditions and customs. Attendees can share information about burial practices that are observed throughout the world.

Noon The African Burial Ground: An American Discovery (Part 1 The Search) - Explore the search and discovery of the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan. This narrated documentary examines the archeological dig that resulted in unearthing The Remains of 419 African men, women and children.

1PM Tour of the Visitor Center - Celebrate the three year anniversary of the African Burial Ground National Monument Visitor Center by learning about its unique African architectural features and design concepts that earned the visitor center several national awards.

2PM Get Up, Stand Up, Don't Give Up the Fight - Follow the paths which led to the passage of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States that prohibited each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

Reservations are required and are accepted by dialing 212-637-2019. All events are free to the public.