By Hafsa Obeng, GNA
Accra, Nov. 25, GNA – Dr Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, President, Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) in the United States, has appealed for international support to stop the desecration of historic African burial grounds in Maryland.
She called for an honour to the memory of kidnapped African children whose remains continued to be mistreated centuries after enslavement.
At a press conference hosted by the Diaspora Africa Forum (DAF) in Accra, Dr Coleman-Adebayo recounted the tragic history of millions of African children forcibly taken from the continent during the transatlantic slave trade.
She said those children, who were captured while going about their everyday lives, were kidnapped, tortured, enslaved and killed to build the foundations of American wealth.
She said many of the kidnapped children were taken to places such as Bethesda, Maryland, where they were subjected to brutal exploitation.
Dr Coleman-Adebayo said the continued mistreatment of African burial grounds in the United States was worrying.
She touched on the ongoing desecration of Moses African Cemetery in Maryland, where remains of kidnapped African children and formerly enslaved persons had been discovered during excavations for construction works.
“In Bethesda, hundreds of remains were unearthed during an excavation for the construction of a storage warehouse. Some aspects have also been asphalted to create parking lots, while other areas had become dumping grounds.”
The BACC President said the coalition was determined to continue its activism and legal battles to protect the burial site, preserve historical truth, and secure reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans.
“We will continue to protest, continue to advocate, and continue to fight until justice is done. Our organisation’s long-term goal is to establish a museum to safeguard the artifacts and remains and ensure the stories of the victims are never denied,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to Ambassador Dr Erieka Bennett, Founder and Head of Mission, DAF, for giving the issue a global platform and for supporting efforts to preserve and honour the memory of the victims.
“It is important that we are doing this in Africa to affirm that these children were human, and they had a right to live, to grow, and to be free,” she said.
Rev. Shegun Adebayo, Pastor, Macedonia Baptist Church and a leader, BACC, said their visit to Ghana symbolised a spiritual homecoming for ancestors whose dignity had long been denied.
He said the recognition they received in Ghana would inspire the coalition to intensify its mission.
“We are the voices of those who cannot speak for themselves. Their spirit propels us. They are finally getting their honour back in their motherland. We thank the people of Ghana for allowing this moment of restoration and hope.”
He commended the DAF for its work in reconnecting the diaspora with the continent, saying Africa’s restoration depended on strengthening these ties.
Ambassador Bennett, who welcomed the delegation, later led them to mount a plaque in honour of the kidnapped girls and their ancestors on the Forum’s Sankofa Wall, a symbolic space dedicated to remembrance and reconnection.
The ceremony underscored growing international concern over the preservation of African burial heritage sites in the diaspora and renewed calls for justice and accountability for historical crimes against Africans.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe