African Burial Grounds

Upon hearing about our trip to the African Burial Grounds, I can admit that the main thought in my mind was the fact that I was going to be close to home (New Jersey) and could finally be in an atmosphere that I was more than comfortable with. If I would have researched more about the trip, and actually invested considerable interest in the field trip I would have not been surprised upon hearing the background of the African Burial Ground. 

I originally thought that the burial ground was an area where black slaves were buried and upon construction they discovered the grave site (which is a similar situation to the area near the court house located in Hackensack, New Jersey). However, we were educated and told that the African Burial Grave site was an area where blacks buried their own people accompanied by various emotional rituals. The fact that this was a site where blacks buried other blacks further highlights the fact that our history in this country goes way beyond and before mere slavery and that we did do things for ourselves, the way we wanted them to be done. 

The site had an aura of excellence and enriched culture attached to it, and despite the cold that I also felt, I felt very connected to the spirits of the deceased Africans and African-Americans. When you are surrounded around such a rich history and culture, I felt like I had no choice but to do better, and no excuse to not attain success.

Daisa Gainey

Sociology '14

daisa.gainey@gmail.com