By Megan Riley
Faculty advisor: Dr. Andrea Smith
3:00-3:50pm, HCC 328
This presentation will cover the research I have done on historic African American cemeteries in Virginia. First, I will discuss the preservation of cemeteries as a whole: how it is done, who does it, and why should people care. Next, I will discuss some of the challenges that cemeteries face regarding preservation and maintenance. This leads into the discussion of how African American cemeteries have similar challenges on top of some of their own challenges unique to their landscapes. I will then talk about current efforts in the state of Virginia in terms of legislative and grassroots actions to reclaim and help preserve African American burial grounds. The next section discusses the two case studies I ended up doing. I will discuss what is the same and what is different about the two and how their ownership entities have gone about reclaiming their landscapes. Finally, I will have a conclusion that discusses the lessons learned throughout this research process.
