Black Cemeteries
Black Cemeteries
Black cemeteries exist nationally
But some are in a state of disarray
Many are located in the South
Names like the Evergreen and the East End
Cemetery
In Richmond, VA, Magnolia in rural eastern Arkansas,
And South-View Cemetery in Atlanta, Ga,
Where Representative John Lewis was buried
These cemeteries were established
During the Civil War
In hazardous, hilly, and wooded terrain
And for decades Black people
Have been migrating from these sites
Moving North and West to escape racial prejudice
But volunteers have manned these burial plots
They did so in segregated times
And expressed pride in these undertakings
South-View Cemetery was chartered in 1886
And have Black businessmen as current board members
Success in endeavoring to maintain these cemeteries
Have a great deal to do with the passion
Such burial plots evoke for the volunteers
Still there are problems with maintenance
Because of lack of funds, enough volunteers,
And having
access to older cemetery records
“Great Emancipator, shine your light on the Black
souls that are resting in these cemeteries.
Let not their lives be forgotten, but their gravesites are a memorial
for future generations.”
Amen
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