NYC Dedicates Plaque Marking 18th Century Slave Market

New York City officials dedicated a plaque Saturday to mark the site of an 18th-century slave market in lower Manhattan.

The plaque commemorates the open-air slave market that operated on Wall Street from 1711 to 1762.

Slaves played a vital role in building New York City even though their time on earth "literally did not belong to them," said Mayor Bill de Blasio during Saturday's dedication ceremony.

City Council member Jumaane Williams said New York was "built on the backs of slaves."

The marker was first proposed by Christopher Cobb, a Brooklyn-based artist and writer.

The language on the plaque was prepared by the Parks Department and Landmarks Preservation Commission in collaboration with Christopher Moore, former director of research at the Schomburg Center for Black Culture.
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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