Martin's Field burial ground dedicated

A moving dedication ceremony at Martin's Field in Flushing helped to bring together various ethnic communities to heal old wounds, honor the dead, and build a bridge to the future.
&#8220The peaceful, rolling hills serve as a place to reflect and honor those who were buried there generations ago, while the new playground will be a place for the next generation to play and grow,” Parks & Recreation Queens Borough Commissioner Lewandowski said.
Martin's Field, a burial ground for between 500 and 1,000 African and Native Americans, and the pauper victims of smallpox and cholera epidemics in 1840, 1844, 1857, and 1867, has been a symbol of discord and disharmony between various ethnic communities since a playground was constructed on the site in 1936.
The ceremony on Saturday November 18 was attended by many dignitaries including the first black Queens Borough President, Helen Marshall, City Councilmembers John C. Liu and James Gennaro, Lewandowski, Senator Frank Padavan, community advocate Mandingo Osceola Tshaka, Chief Little Fox of the Matinnecock tribe, John Tandana, from the organization of Chinese Americans and many others.
Initiated by Osceola Tshaka of Bayside, and costing $2.7 million the reconstruction project, funded by Marshall and Liu, features a new playground and a memorial tablet to honor its history as a 19th Century burial ground. Osceola Tshaka worked tirelessly to &#8220reclaim the history of the souls buried here,” and read out the names of the only four head stones found in the park.
Osceola Tshaka, whose ancestry includes both West African and Native American and who is now the spokesperson for the Matinnecock has drawn support from a diverse group.
&#8220A decade ago I heard a lonesome voice out there in the wilderness, trying to convey the message of the dead buried under Martin's Field. Respecting the dead is part of our Asian culture, because through respecting the dead, we learn to appreciate life,” Tandana said referring to Osceola Tshaka whom he now counts among his friends.
&#8220Today's dedication of Martin's Field marks a historic milestone in our City's race relations,” said Liu. &#8220For more than a decade, this site of hallowed ground lay fallow, and worse yet, people were severely divided along racial lines on how to proceed.”
The speeches and songs were followed by a ribbon cutting and traditional ceremony performed by Chief Little Fox.