In October of 1991, the United States government announced a discovery of terrible and moving import in New York City. While digging the foundation of what would eventually become a Federal building in Manhattan, workers discovered—or rather, rediscovered—an intact burial site that proved to be an African American slave burial ground from the earliest days of New York’s history. Over 400 souls were buried on the site, which was later built over and forgotten. In response to community protests and organizing, the site has become a National Monument and can be visited. Yusef Komunyakaa’s provocative poem chronicles this site, imagining the forgotten dead below the hustle and bustle of modern New York. It reckons with America’s ghosts, and with their legacy.

Imagine what history and mysteries lie beneath your feet in your hometown. What about the past your community’s past might turn up if you started digging?