Black Civil War veterans honored in Norfolk with wreath laying ceremony

NORFOLK, Va. - Just over a week before Memorial Day, local organizations came together Saturday in Norfolk to honor African American veterans of the Civil War.

It was the second annual wreath laying at West Point Cemetery; organized by Hampton Roads Uplift Foundation, Inc. in conjunction with the Lambda Omega Chapter and Gamma XI Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

A wreath was laid at the West Point Monument in the cemetery, which sits next to 58 graves of Black soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War. A playing of Taps followed the wreath's placement.

West Point Cemetery is walled off from the larger Elmwood Cemetery; a reminder of its segregated history.

Organizers say the setting underlines the importance of remembering the past.

“If you don’t know your past, then you’re doomed to follow the same problems that we had," said Ted Price, a retired U.S. Army officer and organizer with the Uplift Foundation. "We got to remember from whence we came and we have to remember those guys, individuals, those soldiers who fought before us, as well as most of the people here are veterans that carry on that tradition.”

Norfolk City Councilman J.P. Paige and Del. Cliff Hayes (D-Chesapeake) were among the speakers at Saturday's event.