New York City has unveiled a plaque which marks the very spot where slave trade occurred over three centuries ago.
New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, accompanied by first lady Chirlane McCray, were present on Saturday during the unveiling of the plaque commemorating the open air slave trade that occurred between 1711 and 1762.
Blasio stated that the plaque would forever serve as a reminder to the people that on that very spot, human beings were sold off for material gain. He was quoted by ABC News as having said:
Let us remember today and everyday that a buying and selling of a people for profit and material gain took place right here.”
The concept of ‘We the People’ was undermined and sullied from the beginning by slavery. The quest to form a more perfect union was made imperfect by racism.”
The idea that all lives matter is a foundation of Democracy. It’s the foundation of everything that we consider to be our moral underpinning of our society, and yet, it still isn’t practiced.
The New York City mayor also reminded the residents that slaves once played a vital role in the construction of the Big Apple, CBS New York reported. He also said that equality of the people, regardless of race, was the foundation of our society, even though it still isn’t practiced in some places.
He ended by reminding New York residents that it’s important not to forget slavery.
The marker was proposed by Christopher Cobb, an artist and writer based in Brooklyn.
The language used in the plaque was made out by the Parks Department and Landmarks Preservation Commission. It was prepared in collaboration with Christopher Moore, the former Director of Research at Schomburg Center for Black Culture.
What are your thoughts on the plaque marking slave trade’s location on Wall Street?
