A group of U.S. Senators and Representatives sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget asking them to allocate $3 million for the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program in the fiscal year 2024 budget.
The group was composed of Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Alma Adams (D-NC-12), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1).
According to them, ensuring that federal support is available will guarantee that cemeteries such as Union Baptist Cemetery are protected and kept in good condition for future generations.
They also stated that maintaining burial sites and preserving the memory of deceased loved ones and ancestors transcends cultural and community boundaries.
Moreover, it ties people to history while guiding them into the future.
Because of this, establishing the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program was a crucial first step in supporting communities to protect these sacred places.
However, it must be made sure that it is properly funded to have historic African American burial sites keep existing.
African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program
The African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program aims to prevent the disruption of burial sites during infrastructure and commercial projects and minimize the associated pain to communities.
The program will provide grants to locate, understand, and maintain historic graveyards and contribute to the preservation of a significant part of America's heritage.
This is because these burial sites hold important memories and stories.
According to Julie Schablitsky, the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) president, the members have advocated for federal support to protect and preserve these sacred places.
For the past five years, members of the SHA have been advocating for Congress to pass legislation to protect and preserve historic African American cemeteries.
As professional archaeologists and supporters of the legislation, SHA members shared their experiences of finding and identifying these burial grounds.
These included instances where they were called in after the sites had already been disturbed by development.
With this, they emphasized the importance of proactively locating and protecting these sacred spaces.
She stated that the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program would assist descendants and their allies in saving history.
It will also play a role in guiding development and community planning decisions.
Senator Brown introduced similar legislation in 2019 in partnership with Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN).
This was after he visited Union Baptist Cemetery and learned about reports of vandalism and the need for repairs at the cemetery.
This legislation was referred to as the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act.
This aimed to create a program within the National Park Service to provide grants and technical support to local organizations to study, identify, survey, and protect these cemeteries.
The provision of federal support would guarantee that sites such as Union Baptist Cemetery are well-maintained.
The Inspiring Visit
Union Baptist Cemetery was established in 1864 and contained the remains of former slaves, African American Union soldiers, and civil rights activists.
In his visit, Senator Brown commented that the nation had not done enough to preserve historic black burial grounds across the country.
It is why there is a need to collaborate with the community, civil rights, veterans, and historic preservation organizations to introduce bipartisan legislation to protect these sacred places.
According to Senator Brown, cemeteries like Union Baptist are significant historical sites and serve as educational resources to help people understand the American narrative.
With this legislation, Brown stated that they would be able to preserve these sites before they are lost due to the passage of time or development.
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