Honoring the Past, Healing the Present: The Tribute to Our Ancestors at Coney Island

Honoring the Past, Healing the Present: The Tribute to Our Ancestors at Coney Island

Each summer, on the shores of Coney Island, a deeply moving and sacred event takes place: the Tribute to Our Ancestors of the Middle Passage. This powerful ceremony draws together people of African descent and allies from all walks of life to remember, honor, and celebrate the lives of those lost during the transatlantic slave trade.

It’s a ceremony rooted in reverence, community, and the resilience of a people who survived the unimaginable. And at the heart of this legacy is the visionary work of Dr. Mary Umolu, a beloved educator, cultural leader, and the event’s founder.

The Birth of a Tradition: Dr. Mary Umolu's Vision

The Tribute began in 1989, born from a powerful moment of reflection and purpose. During the National Association of Black Storytellers Conference held at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, a group of educators, elders, and cultural workers gathered to discuss the need for a spiritual and cultural response to the history of the Middle Passage.

Out of that gathering, Dr. Mary Umolu, then chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Medgar Evers, helped form the People of the Sun Middle Passage Collective. With clarity of purpose and deep ancestral calling, they organized the first tribute at Coney Island, choosing the Atlantic Ocean as a symbolic and spiritual site—one that had once borne the weight of unimaginable suffering.

Dr. Umolu believed that honoring the ancestors was not only a spiritual duty, but a form of healing for future generations. She understood that remembrance was a radical act of resistance and affirmation.

Why Coney Island? Why the Atlantic?

The choice of Coney Island was intentional. It was accessible, public, and most importantly—it faced the Atlantic Ocean. That ocean, which today laps at our feet, was once the graveyard of millions of African souls.

During the Middle Passage, enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic in horrific conditions. Many perished before reaching land. Their bodies, stories, and names were swallowed by the sea.

But memory is stronger than silence. And water, as elders say, holds memory. At Coney Island, the waves become witnesses. The shore becomes an altar.

The Ceremony: From Solemnity to Celebration

On the morning of the Tribute, the boardwalk transforms into sacred space. Participants—many dressed in flowing white garments—gather in a circle. Drummers beat ancestral rhythms. Elders lead prayers. The air carries both solemnity and celebration.

A central part of the ceremony is the pouring of libation, where water and rum are poured onto the ground as the names of ancestors are spoken aloud. Participants call out names known and unknown: family members, historical figures, and those who were lost without record.

Children lay petals in the water. Offerings of fruit, flowers, coins, and shells are sent into the sea. The silence is often broken by song, chant, or the sound of waves pulling these offerings outward—carrying our prayers to the ancestors.

And then comes the celebration: drumming, dancing, storytelling, and joy. It’s a living, breathing expression of cultural survival.

A Global Ritual with Local Roots

While this Brooklyn-based tribute is unique, it is part of a global movement of ancestral remembrance. From Goree Island in Senegal to Charleston, South Carolina to Salvador, Brazil, communities across the African diaspora hold similar ceremonies—reclaiming memory, offering prayers, and affirming life.

Yet, the Coney Island Tribute remains special: grassroots, open to all, rooted in the local Black community, and guided by elders who knew the importance of creating a spiritual space in the heart of the city.

The Legacy of Dr. Mary Umolu

Though Dr. Umolu passed in 2009, her presence remains an integral part of the ceremony. Each year, her name is called during the libation. Her vision continues to guide the collective work of remembrance and healing.

She once said that “memory is our inheritance—and our responsibility.” Through her leadership, she gave New York City a lasting gift: a sacred ritual that reconnects us to who we are and where we’ve come from.

Thanks to her work, students, families, elders, artists, and spiritual leaders gather each year to remember not only the suffering—but the survival. The continuity. The beauty of what endures.

Why This Matters Today

In a world that often rushes forward without looking back, the Tribute to Our Ancestors reminds us that healing requires memory. That true celebration of life includes acknowledging those who came before us.

It teaches us that cultural practice isn’t just tradition—it’s resistance, connection, and love.

This annual event is not just for one day. It’s a reminder that we are here because someone survived. Because someone fought. Because someone remembered.

Join the Next Tribute

If you're ever in New York in early June, make your way to Coney Island—not just for the rides, but for the rhythm of the drums, the reverence of silence, and the power of ancestral remembrance.

Bring your white clothing, your flowers, your children, and your stories.

Come remember. Come honor. Come heal.

Ashe.

Want to support the work of the People of the Sun Middle Passage Collective? Share this post. Attend the next gathering. Speak the names. Memory belongs to all of us.

(Follow the ceremony online at #MiddlePassageTribute or #ConeyIslandAncestors)

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