Western Courier

Issue date: 3/11/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Dustin Larkey Andrea Frohne, African art historian and Western Illinois University alumnus, spoke Wednesday night about a slave cemetery found in Manhatten.

A mere 10 minute walk from the World Trade Center's former location, a 17th century African cemetery with over 10,000 bodies was uncovered in the early 1990s during construction of a General Service Administration building in Lower Manhattan.

Yesterday, African art historian Andrea Frohne, Western Illinois University alumnus and Macomb native, discussed the historical, political and sociological significance of the cemetery using art to teach the audience about the find's cultural significance.

Many of the people in the cemetery were Africans brought to America by the Dutch when New York was still called New Amsterdam.

"This is not just the history of New York City, it is a history significant to African-Americans and a major component of U.S. history as well as global history," Frohne said of the cemetery.

It is estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 slaves were buried in the cemetery. Between 45 and 50 percent of those buried were children under 12 years old. Many others were born in Africa, as evidenced from the strength of their bones from the better nutrition they received in Africa. Frohne said some of the people were "worked to death." No personal information about the lives of those buried there is known, she added.

Frohne shared with the crowded audience how the cemetery was discovered and how it was "covered over and forgotten for over 200 years."

The cemetery was located in a gully that was later filled in with dirt and paved over to make way for "streets named after politicians and rich white men," Frohne said.

Before altering the land in New York, research must be done on the site to make sure nothing of historical significance is destroyed.

According to Frohne, GSA had evidence that the cemetery was there before starting construction, but believed much of it had been destroyed by previous construction problems. Frohne said some burials were paved over and ruined because proper care was not taken.

Continued...

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