Dozens Gather For Moorish-American Remembrance Day
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Dozens gathered outside Independence Mall on Friday for Moorish-American remembrance Day, honoring a group of people who left their mark in American history.
Families dressed in red, black and white listened to Islamic prayers commemorating the Moors, people who are descendants of Morocco and born in America.
Azeem Hopkins-Bey is a Grand-Shiek of the Moorish Science Temple of America in Philadelphia and said their ancestors arrived in America as slaves, and vanished in history books.
"They were given slave names & slave marks of negro, black and colored in the year of 1774 and today we are honoring the spirit and legacy of our fore-fathers,"Hopkins-Bey said.
After the ceremony, they toured historic landmarks important to Moorish history, to teach new generations about their heritage.
"Some say America is a melting pot, but it's more like a stew. We all Americans, but you still have the flavor of our forefathers that you still carry and teach your children about."