NY nonprofit reclaims centuries-old cemetery for enslaved people

A sign marks the location of a recently rediscovered African burial ground in Kingston, NY, Aug. 5, 2024. A tombstone bearing the name of Caezer Smith and dated 1839 is displayed on the site of a recently rediscovered African burial ground in Kingston, NY, Aug. 5, 2024. FILE - A student records the location of artifacts found while working at the site of an African burial ground in Kingston, NY, Aug. 5, 2024.

On a residential block in upstate New York, college students dug and sifted backyard dirt as part of an archeological exploration this summer of a centuries-old cemetery for African Americans.