Saving New York's African burial ground
Peggy King Jorde was raised in the civil rights movement, so when it came to honouring enslaved Africans from generations earlier, she knew exactly what to do.
Peggy King Jorde was destined to play a part in the civil rights movement. Her father was a prominent lawyer, representing anti-racist protesters, and she was directly involved in the desegregation of the school system, being one of the first black children in an otherwise all-white school.
While working as an architect in the New York Mayor鈥檚 office, Peggy was horrified to hear of plans to build on top of a cemetery in the city, which dated back to the 1700s. The African Burial Ground contained the remains of more than 15,000 people who lived and worked in the early years of New York City, many of them had been enslaved. In opposing the plan Peggy encountered racist attitudes which sidelined the history of Africans in North America. Eventually Peggy won the day, and used the experience to help other communities facing similar issues globally.
Presenter: Julian Siddle
Producer: Mobeen Azhar
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: African Burial Ground National Monument. Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
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- Mon 11 Nov 2024 12:06GMT成人快手 World Service
- Mon 11 Nov 2024 18:06GMT成人快手 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Mon 11 Nov 2024 23:06GMT成人快手 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Tue 12 Nov 2024 03:06GMT成人快手 World Service
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