Public input requested in transformation of Enslaved African Burial Ground at Van Cortlandt Park
Alice Michelle Augustine is determined to tell the untold stories rooted in the history of Van Cortlandt Park.
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A sacred and historic space in Van Cortlandt Park that went unmarked for decades is now getting the recognition it deserves.
Alice Michelle Augustine is determined to tell the untold stories rooted in the history of Van Cortlandt Park.
“If the master, the owner of the people is buried here, where are my ancestors?" asked Alice Michelle Augustine, a Legacy Council member and founding director of Campus Honors and Scholar Engagement at Lehman College.
It's a question that went unacknowledged for decades. Now, marked by a plaque, is the burial site of enslaved Africans who lived and worked on the Van Cortlandt Family Plantation for more than 150 years.
“These are not just random people. We have to be very clear about this; they built the wealth of this state, they built infrastructure, the lake powered the mill, the mill powered the wealth,” said Augustine.
Their hands are laced into the landscape of what's now Van Cortlandt Park.
“Just like you can walk in this park and see the names of other people and the historically significant to the state, their significance needs to be known as well," said Augustine.
Supported by a $310,000 grant from The Mellon Foundation, the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance is working with the Design Trust - and its legacy council that Augustine is a member of - to gather community input that will guide the transformation of these sacred grounds.
“It’s really, really, really very essential that we center the voices of the Black and brown people because this is their history – this is their story to tell and we are abundantly sensitive to that," said Stephanie Ehrlich, the executive director of Van Cortlandt Park Alliance.
Augustine's vision includes an interactive space that drives conversation and provides a restorative place for healing.
“This is a space where we come when we feel defeated, this is my healing space, this space, every time I come too often I cry," said Augustine," We also want to want to create spiritual and sacred space here so people can come and sit when they want to reflect or community space where, we have community members come here, for example, let us say, senior center group would come sit and do some knitting, but speak about their lives and, and generate memories that bring them healing and, and joy."
The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance wants to ensure the needs, values and lived experiences of the Bronx and descendants are reflected at the burial ground.
"This is a story that needs to be told, especially in this moment in time when history is being erased," said Ehrlich.
A reimagining fall get-together will be held on Oct. 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
A survey will be open through Oct. 31 for community members to provide feedback.
