D.C. Students Volunteer To Protect And Restore Historically Black Cemeteries

Students are working alongside the Black Georgetown Foundation to preserve two historical cemeteries.

Students in Washington, D.C., have voluntarily tasked themselves to preserve two historically Black cemeteries in the area.

PBS News Hour spoke to the students involved in the initiative. After Congress launched an effort in 2023, they now preserve the graves at Mount Zion and Female Union Band Society cemeteries.

Despite passing the African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act, lawmakers have stalled in implementing it. Due to the lack of funding, D.C. youth and the Black Georgetown Foundation are working to ensure the cemeteries’ longevity.

“This is where people are laid to rest, and it’s a sacred space. De th reflects life. And the treatment of Black people in life is reflective of treatment of Black people in death,” explained reporter Amna Nawaz.

Despite hosting between 8,000 and 10,000 graves, developers initially sought to rebuild both areas. However, local high schoolers have come on significant days like Juneteenth to maintain this ancestral Black community. Some of the graves remain unmarked, with many families unaware of where their loved ones currently rest.

“I think it’s important that this place highlights the plight of African Americans in this country, but also the triumph that they have — that, you know, we came to this country in bondage, but we are — we have risen so, so much,” expressed volunteer Brooke Talbott.

Lisa Fager, Executive Director of the Foundation, added, “The facts are there in their lives and deaths and tell us the stories and the history that we need to remember so that we don’t repeat it. And that’s what Black cemeteries do. They complete the story.”

Through the foundation, Fager hosts volunteer days and education events for the remembrance of those who came before.

Black cemeteries across the country still remain at risk of degradation or developers taking over the land. However, Black people have dedicated new organizations and communal outreach for the upkeep of these important burial grounds.