Ancestral Memorial, Coney Island

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A black-and-white gelatin silver print photograph of three women engaged in a memorial ritual for enslaved African ancestors of the Middle Passage during the annual event held by the People of the Sun Middle Passage Collective in Coney Island. The women, all wearing long white dresses, stand in knee-deep foamy waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Their heads are bowed, and they hold each other's hands. They are shown against a plain grey sky. The photograph is set in matte white backing with a printed white gallery label on the reverse.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗