African Burial Grounds

This week's lecture dealt with the African burial grounds in New York. Dr. Mac talked about how the gravesite for these Africans have been violated and disrespected; how Howard University was tasked with taking care of the remains. I believe Howard University was chosen to restore and preserve the remains because of our historical background, as well as the fact that we had competent, passionate students and faculty more than welcome to take on the task.

The bones were in bad shape, but the Howard students revitalized them and did the remains justice. During the lecture Dr. Mac discussed the various rituals that our African ancestors had. These rituals ranged from teeth filing, to ceremonial beads. These types of rituals were viewed as rites of passage, and were very important to their culture. It was amazing to see how much information could be gathered simply by studying the remains of these Africans. Each set of skeletal remains told a story, and displayed the struggle and pain that our ancestors had to go through. It also showed their pride.

I liked how importantly Dr. Mac viewed these remains, and stressed that they should be given as much respect as you would give someone living today. His pride and passion for the preservation of these African remains was inspiring, and I feel that his presentation displayed that. I know that my fellow Howard students are excited to view the African burial ground for themselves, and learn even more information about our ancestors.