Black Cemeteries

In search of funds to preserve and commemorate the Miraflores Burial Ground, the city of Pensacola recently submitted application for a grant through the Florida Division of Historical Resources Abandoned African American Cemeteries Grants program. During the review process, discussion of ideas for how to honor the site will continue.

Experts say these cemeteries -- located across the country, including Florida -- tell the story of bygone days that capture the richness of the Black experience. And families say it's essential to be able to pay their respects and connect with ancestors there.

The rundown state of the historic Black cemetery is at the center of a legal battle over who is in charge of its operation, upkeep and land.

Frank Wooden is a groundskeeper and brother of the owner of Lincoln Memorial Park in Miami, where their parents are both buried. Wooden feels it’s vital to preserve this historic Black cemetery he devotes himself to, the place where he feels at home.

Lt. Laura Anderson told news stations this week that a nonintrusive archaeological survey performed over the past two years at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa identified 58 probable graves and 63 possible graves.

Military officials say as many as 121 unmarked graves in a former Black cemetery have been discovered at MacDill Air Force Base.

The display uncovers findings about more than 40 lost burial grounds in the Hillsborough County region. Over half of them were used as sites for "colored" people in the era of segregation.

House Bill 49 implements the recommendations of a task force approved by the Legislature two years ago to study the issue of abandoned African American cemeteries.

The city is moving forward with its own efforts — bolstered by state funds — to restore the Old Groveland Cemetery.

"Grand Rising" will include displays of the Black Cemetery Network's research and documentation, as well as performances by artists and dancers.

Bill sponsor Rep. Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, said that after four years of pushing the measure, it has become a “labor of love.”

Nigel Rudolph and others in his field argue that burial grounds serve the living more so than the dead, justifying the need for their discovery and protection. Florida lawmakers are recognizing this in the upcoming legislative session.