Boggis recognized the work of Valerie Cunningham, who “wanted to find herself in her hometown,” Boggis said. Cunningham's research led her to a 17th-century map that identified this site as the Negro Burying Ground, where 200 people were buried. During road repairs in 2003, Boggis said, “an excavator hit a coffin. It wasn't the first time the ancestors had been disturbed. There were other times when they were removed, discarded and not treated with respect.”

But this time, the city and community have “made it a sacred place again,” she said, by creating the African Burying Ground memorial park.

“Today we celebrate African American Freedom Day and honor our enslaved ancestors not only for what happened in the past, but for where we are today,” Boggis said. “To me, this celebration of African drums is one of the most spiritual things we do. We honor the 200 people buried here, but also our connection to our humanity today. It's that heartbeat.”

Next, Reverend Robert Thompson spoke, said a prayer, and offered a libation to the ancestors, symbolically offering them nourishment by pouring water from a glass onto the burial site's memorial circle.