I had never been here. We signed up online for a three part tour of museum, art and monument for $3. Very close to Brooklyn Bridge stop on the 4,5,6 trains. Plenty of places to eat.

The monument itself is a beautiful marble circle and I found it very moving to read the engraved details of some of the people buried there, discovered in a mass grave during construction work in the 1990s. Around the corner is a small free museum with more information about the burial site and about slavery in general. Very powerful.

We accidentally went on a tour, but the information shared was definitely appreciated. The space is small. Really one main room with a couple of side spaces. The narrative is one that attempts to bring to light New York City and the slave trade in America through the lens of the African Burial Grounds. It’s a solid attempt, but New York could definitely do more. Still worth going.

Tucked away from the touristic mainstream is this gem of education and history. The visitor center has an extensive exhibition of African-American life in early Manhattan. Amongst a film and different artefacts, they display explain the history of the place by individual stories of people buried there.