IAR Faculty member Gary Fritz is coordinating a musical presentation for a very important event in African American history, the African Burial Ground dedication ceremony in New York City. The burial ground was discovered when construction began on a new federal office building; 420 bodies of enslaved and free Africans from the 17th and 18th centuries were discovered at the site. It is estimated that between 15,000 to 20,000 African men, women, and children are buried in lower Manhattan. Construction would have continued had not a public outcry and protests put a halt to it and, after many years of struggle, the site was classified as a national monument.

The ceremonies will take place in NYC on Friday, October 5th and Saturday, October 6th. Friday’s activities will include a candlelight procession at 5pm to begin at Battery Park, with an assembly to receive the torch coming from the Statue of Liberty, and then proceed up Broadway to Foley Square. Gary is putting together a group of 420 Djembe players, each representing a body uncovered at the site, to participate in the procession. Everyone from all backgrounds is invited to bring percussive instruments to join in the activities from the sidelines.

Please relay this message to your friends and family and, if you are an accomplished Djembe player and would like to participate in the procession, please contact Gary at wickedgf@hotmail.com.