UNITED NATIONS, CMC – A Haitian American architect has been declared the winner of an international competition to design a memorial that will be permanently on display at United Nations Headquarters in New York to honor victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.
Unveiling Rodney Leon’s “Ark of Return” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the memorial would “ serve as a reminder of the bravery of those slaves, abolitionists and unsung heroes who managed to rise up against an oppressive system, fight for their freedom and end the practice”.
President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Antigua and Barbuda’s UN Ambassador Dr. John Ashe, commended all participants in the competition for “being a voice of change and hope” whose ability to create meaningful artwork “deepens our faith in human goodness and decency, and for this, we are all grateful”.
