The fight to save America?s historic Black cemeteries

But proposed legislation could change this: the African American Burial Grounds Network Act would create a network of Black cemeteries and a formal database of historic Black burial sites—including grant funding for research and restoration—under the purview of the National Park Service. The group’s volunteer work helped catalyze a 2018 law that promotes investment in the protection of historic Black cemeteries—a law that came after decades of pressure from McEachin, who learned his own great-great-grandfather is buried in East End. This state law forms the basis of the proposed federal act, which McEachin predicts may remain in committee for the remainder of 2020.During the 1990s, as a member of Virginia’s House of Delegates, McEachin unsuccessfully pushed for funds to protect African-American graves at places like East End (pictured). While attending a county board meeting to discuss a permit for a new self-storage site near the church, she heard a board member refer to a potential problem: the “myth” of a historic Black cemetery underlying the permitted site.According to Coleman-Adebayo, one of her congregants immediately raised his hand and said, “That’s not a myth. But King and other community members found that permits had been issued for development that would disturb Boyd-Carter Cemetery, other marked graves, and the nearby African Methodist Episcopal Church.King and other community groups who oppose the factory development believe the cemetery’s archaeological and historic significance was overlooked because they are Black burial sites.“I don’t use [the word] racism lightly,” King says. The factory, still under construction, is intended to start production in 2021.Because historic Black cemeteries are not well-protected by law, local communities continue to rely on their own volunteer efforts to honor their ancestors’ resting places.In Jefferson County, King’s social media campaign has encouraged descendants to connect with their relatives.