Sunday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m, the Key West African Cemetery in Key West, Fla., will host an International Day of Remembrance of the victims of the slave trade and its termination. This event symbolizes years of honoring the memories of the 295 African castaways who were buried at the site in the year of 1860 by the Key West community. A reported 1,432 people were rescued by the United States Navy from three American slave ships.
After being rescued, the Africans were subjected to 12 weeks of detention in Key West, and U.S. Marshal Fernando Moreno and members of the 3000-strong island community raised money to buy food, clothes and medicine for them. Yet, 295 of the Africans died of illnesses caused by the foul conditions on the ships. So, 295 coffins were ordered by Moreno, and were carried in long parades from the “slave depot” to the burial place. The International Day of Remembrance assures that the story of the Middle Passage, and the enslaved Africans who were victims of it, is never forgotten. Admission is free and open to the public. For further information, call 305-904-7620.