National Parks 2021: African Burial Ground National Monument

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, save one, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Most will fall under one of 4 categories:

National History – Eastern USA
National History – Western USA
Indigenous Culture
Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-staycay-2021/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2021/

Where is it located?

African Burial Ground National Monument is a monument at Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way in the Civic Center section of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Its main building is the Ted Weiss Federal Building at 290 Broadway.

Whose land does it reside upon?

Manhattan was the indigenous land of the Lenape people, who called the island Manahatta, meaning “hilly island.”

When was it established?

February 27, 2006

Why is it amazing?

In 1991, construction began on yet another high rise in Manhattan. Skeletal remains were discovered while excavating, and further careful excavation discovered intact human skeletal remains 30 feet below the city’s street level on Broadway. A 6-acre burial ground, dating from the 1630s through the late 1790s and containing upwards of 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans who lived and worked in colonial New York was discovered. The Burial Ground is the nation’s earliest and largest African burial ground rediscovered in the United States.

Civic engagement and advocacy led to the ancestral remains’ reinterment within the original site of rediscovery. An external memorial, an interpretive center, and research library were constructed to commemorate the financial and physical contributions of enslaved Africans in colonial New York and honor their memory.

Why did we choose these colors?

As we scrolled through the images on the NPS site, we were struck by the beauty of the traditional African garb worn by celebrants, and used that as inspiration for our colorway.