Grave Matters: South Florida Sacred Burial Ground Reasonins’

Date: Saturday, February 24

Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Location: African American Research Library and Cultural Center, Gallery B

Register here!

Virtual link: Launch Meeting - Zoom (zoomgov.com)

Black History month conversation memorializing deceased, cemeteries and memory work. Invitees: cultural workers, preservationists, historians, anthropologists, librarians, genealogists, morticians.

Cemeteries, graveyards, and burial grounds continue to serve as public monuments that capture historic snapshots of their surrounding locales.  Such sites bear significance to community’s historical presence and important relationship to family and genealogical research.  In the last decade, three South Florida cemeteries in Deerfield Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Brownsville, Miami continue to reveal the need for and benefits of collaborative restoration efforts in preserving and retaining the important histories of African and Caribbean American descendants. 

On June 4, 2021, Governor DeSantis signed into law CS/CS/HB 37 (Chapter 2021-60, Laws of Florida) relating to Abandoned Cemeteries. The bill created a 10-member Task Force on Abandoned African American Cemeteries (“Task Force”), adjunct to the Department of State (“Department”), to:

1. Study the extent to which unmarked or abandoned African American cemeteries and burial grounds exist throughout the state; and
2. Develop and recommend strategies for identifying and recording cemeteries and burial grounds while preserving local history and ensuring dignity and respect for the deceased.

FEATURED PANELISTS

• Dr. Enid Pinkney, Historic Preservation, Lemon City Cemetery, Historic Hampton House, Miami

• Dr. Antoinette Jackson, Anthropology Chair, University of South Florida, Tampa

• Gloria Battle, Deerfield Beach Historical Society, Branhilda Richardson Knowles Memorial Park, Deerfield Beach

• Roberto Fernandez, III, Educator, History Broward, Ft. Lauderdale

• Dr. Ramona La Roche, Moderator, Cultural Heritage Informaticist, AARLCC, Broward County Library

The hybrid program will be presented from 2:15 - 4:00 pm EST both in person at AARLCC and online.

Refreshments and door prizes will be available!  Please share with your networks.....

Broward County Librarian administration asked Dr. Ramona La Roche to attend and represent AARLCC for the public committee hearing meetings in 2021, given her expertise with genealogy and sacred African diaspora burial grounds in South Carolina and south Florida.  Please see link for more details. https://dos.fl.gov/historical/archaeology/human-remains/abandoned-cemeteries/2021-abandoned-african-american-cemeteries-task-force/

Wimauma memorial cemetery Repass

Join us and enjoy many speakers from the community and county to celebrate the past, present, and future of Wimauma and the Wimauma Memorial Cemetery.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Date: February 24, 2024

Time: 11am to 2pm

Location: 6012 Edina St. Wimauma, Fl. 33598.

The power of archival history in the future of African American communities

As part of the University of Cincinnati’s month-long series of events to commemorate 2024 Black History Month, retitled Black Future Month, the Charles P. Taft Research Center of UC, in partnership with the Union Baptist Church, will feature a lecture by Dr. Meredith Evans, the 75th President of the Society of American Archivists who has held managerial roles in archives, special collections and exhibit spaces at Washington University in St. Louis, UNC Charlotte, and George Washington University. Dr. Evans has written on the role and value of libraries and archives as advocacy organizations that support and document social change. Registration is requested for Dr. Evans’ lecture.

When:

Lecture: Thursday, February 22, 6:00 pm-8:30pm

Where:

Lecture: Probasco Auditorium, 2839 Clifton Ave

Keynote:

Dr. Meredith Evans, Historian and 75th President of Society of American Archivists

We are happy to announce this program will now be live-streamed! Live streaming will begin at 6:30 PM, and the link is: https://bit.ly/AfricanAmericanArchivalHistoryandFuture. 

Warm regards, 

Union Baptist Cemeteries Advisory Board 

Wimaumas memorial cemetery beautification Project

The Wimauma Heritage Committee invites you to join in cleaning up the Wimauma Memorial Cemetery. A small breakfast will be provided before the cleaning. Gloves, trash bags, and refreshments will be provided.

Date: February 17, 2024

Time: 9am to 12pm

Location: 6012 Edina St. Wimauma, Fl. 33598.

Volunteers Needed! Please contact Angelika Pacheco (Engagement Coordinator) angelika@wimaumacdc.org. 813.634.6243.

INSTITUTE ON BLACK LIFE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Event Date & Time

Date: Thursday, Feburary 1, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Event Location

Marshall Student Center (MSC)
Third Floor - Room 3707
4103 USF Cedar Circle
Tampa, FL 33620

Register Now

ABOUT THE EVENT

The USF Institute on Black Life (IBL) will co-host its annual conference with the Office of Veteran Success. The conference theme is ‘Black Life and the Military.’ Topics specifically address the historic role of the military in Black life, addressing successes such as career and professional development opportunities, and upward mobility and challenges with racial injustice, health and mental well-being. The theme aligns with the University of South Florida’s research commitment to global and national security. USF is home to a robust Office of Veteran Success, a pioneering Military Leadership Center (JMLC), Army, Naval, and Air Force ROTC programs, a Global and National Security Institute, and a USF Institute of Applied Engineering (IAE) in collaboration with the Department of Defense. The university also liaises with several National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense at historically black colleges and universities.

The African American Burial Ground and Black Cemetery Network Panel Memories in Mind: Honoring Veterans and the History of Memorial Park Cemetery, Tampa, FL will be held from 3:00 - 3:30pm

Link to event

Hickory Hill Slave and AFRICAN AMERICAN Cemetery Historical presentation

Join us and welcome guest speaker Jean Folly as she shares a historical presentation on Hickory Hill Slave and African American Cemetery, located in Ashland, VA.

Light refreshments provided by the Friends of the Mechanicsville Branch Library.

Date: October 30th, 2023, 1:00-2:30

Time: 1:00-2:30pm

Address: Mechanicsville Branch Library

7461 Sherwood Crossing Pl

Mechanicsville, VA 23111

(located behind Arby’s and Cookout)

For more information or if you have a special physical or communication need, please contact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org or call the Mechanicsville Branch Library at 804-746-9615.

Link to Facebook!

AFRICAN AMERICAN BURIAL GROUND AND REMEMBERING PROJECT

Join us to learn about this multicampus research study bringing together local artists and USF faculty, staff, and students to address the erasure of historical Black communities in the Tampa Bay area. We are excited to share information on this project with our USF community as well as highlight the libraries involvement.

Speakers

- Dr. Antoinette Jackson

Professor & Chair, Anthropology

- Kaleigh Hoyt PhD

Student, Anthroplogy

- Drew Smith

Associate Librarian Emeritus

- Richard Schmidt

Coordinator, Library Operations: Reformatting

- Dahlia Thomas

Coordinator, Library Operations: Oral History

Date: October 24TH, 2023

Time: 2 PM - 3 PM

Join us for this virtual presentation: Tinyurl.com/2X9F78DV

RRAAM Genealogy Workshop

On Saturday, October 21st, the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM) is hosting a genealogy workshop to help you uncover your family’s past. This event is perfect for millennials, older adults, and anyone else who want to learn more about their heritage. Experienced genealogist Gaynell Brady will be leading this workshop, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions, learn about the processes of finding family connections, and share your own findings.

Learning about your family history can be an extremely rewarding experience. Let the RRAAM help you get started on this journey!

Registration is $25 per person and attendees should bring their own note-taking materials and (if possible) laptops. Please arrive on time so as not to miss any important information. For questions about the workshop, please contact RRAAM Founder Kathe Hambrick via email at kathehambrick@gmail.com.

Link to purchase tickets!

Underground History Screening and Panel Discussion

Underground History is a documentary film project designed to explore connections between the St. Petersburg’s diverse cultural history and emerging community efforts to acknowledge that past in charting the future. The project considers the links between the history and remaining archeological sites of the region’s Indigenous Ancestors, the displaced contemporary African American communities and erased black cemeteries and historic waterways which once created a connectivity for these places and people. Underground History poses the question, if a community fully acknowledge its past, can it develop a deeper sense of place and a better vision for the future?

The film screening and community discussion will present a work-in-progress documentary and gather feedback from the audience about the film. The event will provide an opportunity for discussion with the filmmakers and project advisors, as well as exploration of ideas for on-going engagement in community efforts around St. Petersburg’s history, archeology, and cultural heritage.

Funding for the Underground History program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding support is also provided through a grant from the St. Petersburg Art Alliance and the St. Petersburg’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Scholars and presenters:

- Polita Glynn and Devin Rice, Filmmakers

- Robert Austin, Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education, (AWIARE).

- John Arthur, PhD, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida.

- Thomas Hallock, Ph.D., Professor, English, Literature & Cultural Studies, University of South Florida.

- Antoinette Jackson, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology and Director, Heritage Research Lab, University of South Florida.

- Ms. Gwendolyn Reese, President African American Heritage Association of St. Petersburg.

- Wanda Stuart, Storyteller and Community Activist

Link to Register

Legacies in place, memories in mind: A tribute to black history & memorial park cemetery

The Black Cemetery Network (BCN) connects people and projects from across the country to protect, preserve, and promote the histories of African American burial grounds and sacred spaces. Join us for a morning of remembrance, research, art, and fellowship at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Presentation, Panel Discussion, music, visual art, spoken word, site walk

Light refreshment provided

Date: Oct 14th, 2023

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Adress: C. Blythe Andrews Library, 2607 E MLK Jr Blvd, Tampa, FL, 33610

Community Conversations with the African American Heritage Association

This September, The African American Heritage Association Community Conversations in association with Tombolo Books presents a screening of “Underground History” and discussion moderated by Ms. Gwendolyn Reese, President, African American Heritage Association of St. Petersburg.

Underground History is a documentary film project designed to explore connections between the St. Petersburg’s diverse cultural history and emerging community efforts to acknowledge that past in charting the future. The project considers the links between the history and remaining archeological sites of the region’s Indigenous Ancestors, the displaced contemporary African American communities and erased Black cemeteries and historic waterways which once created a connectivity for these places and people. Underground History poses this question: if a community fully acknowledge its past, can it develop a deeper sense of place and a better vision for the future?

The event will provide an opportunity for discussion with the filmmakers and project advisors, as well as exploration of ideas for on-going engagement in community efforts around St. Petersburg’s history, archeology and cultural heritage.

Funding for the Underground History program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding support is also provided through a grant from the St. Petersburg Art Alliance and the St. Petersburg’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Link: Reserve a spot!

Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition Juneteenth Celebration

Enjoy free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream while we dance, sing, reflect, and reinvigorate our community to struggle against white supremacy in Montgomery County and across the United States.

Featured speakers & performers:

U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin

Historian & Author C.R. Gibbs

Evergreen Productions

River Road native Harvey Matthews

& more to be announced.

Date: June 19, 2023

Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: 5214 River Road Bethesda, MD 20816

For more information: Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition Juneteenth Celebration Tickets, Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite

Juneteenth Commemoration: Discovering our roots

This Freedom Day Celebration and community event will connect the past to the present with the hope of building a better future, as we highlight a journey through our community’s history to discover the deep roots and significance of African American culture, art, traditions, and ways of life reflected in the landscape.

This Juneteenth event, hosted by the Hamilton Hood Foundation, will feature storytelling and re-enactment by the 10th Calvary, Troop A, Buffalo Soldier Association, musical performances, poetry by local artists, and a FamilySearch.org curated genealogy information table.  

For a full listing of the event and commemoration please follow HHF on social media for the most up-to-date information and a full schedule of activities. 

Hamiltonhood.org

The second annual Juneteenth remembrance day event

This event is hosted by the Social Responsibility Group and the Friends of Frederick Douglass Memorial Cemetery.

Date: June 17, 2023.

Time: 10 Am - 11Am

Location: Frederick Douglass Memorial Cemetery

1421 Wilkes Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

African American Cemetery Symposium

Join Stratford Hall for a symposium on memorializing burial grounds of enslaved Africans and African Americans at plantation sites.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Dr. Michael Blakey, National Endowment for the Humanities Professor at the College of William and Mary, Anthropology and American Studies.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Kami Fletcher, Associate Professor of American & African American History, Albright College

Dr. Antoinette T. Jackson, Professor and Chair of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Director of the USF Heritage Research Lab

PANELISTS:

Linda Whitlock-Brown, Descendant, Stratford Hall, VA

Lenora McQueen, Descendant, Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, Richmond, VA

Dr. Matthew Reeves, Director of Archaeology and Landscape Restoration at James Madison’s Montpelier

Alan Spears, Senior Director for Cultural Resources, Government Affairs, National Parks Conservation Association

Steve Hammond, Syphax descendant, family historian, and genealogist

Lunch will be provided and pre-registration is requested.

The African American Symposium is part of a weekend of program which also includes From the Field to the Big House program on Sunday, May 21st. Lodging available onsite at Stratford Hall: www.stratfordhall.org/lodging.

Register today!

For more information, please contact Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, Stratford Hall Vice President of Collections & Public Engagement, at kdeetz@stratfordhall.org.

Monument Dedication and Memorial Event

Join us for a 3-day event (May 19th to May 21st) to dedicate a monument to honor the 36 men, women, and children reinterred at the Oakwood Cemetery from the Historic Colored Grounds.

In 2016, during the rehabilitation of the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel, archaeologists monitoring construction discovered the remains of men, women and children beneath the footprint of the Chapel. Construction was halted and thus began the journey of confronting injustice and gaining insight into the lives of the people who were discovered. In October 2020, with help from nationally renowned archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, community activists and City staff, this two-day symposium continued the public conversation in an online forum.

In November 2021, the men, women, and children were reinterred at the Oakwood Cemetery, and a small blessing event was held. Monuments were designed that are now ready to be dedicated with a memorial event.

Join us in the journey to explore and honor the people of Oakwood Cemetery.

For more information, see OakwoodSymposium.org

All Together Here - Monument Dedication and Memorial Events Tickets, Fri, May 19, 2023 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite

All events are free and open to the public.

Please RSVP to each session at the link above and communicate any special accommodations.

Free parking available within the cemetery, along Comal Street, and along 16th Street at Navasota.

Digitizing and Documenting gravestones

This event is a workshop in partnership with IDEx. This event will have participants digitizing and documenting gravestones at Mt Carmel Church and Cemetery.

ART OVER Erasure

Speaking Truth to Troubled Histories in ST. PETERSBURG

The African American Burial Ground & Remembering Project is an ongoing initiative which brings together local artists and USF faculty, staff, and students to address the erasure of historic black cemeteries in the Tampa Bay area. Join us for a night of remembrance, reflection, and artistic expression in living memory of those buried at Oaklawn, Evergreen, and Moffett Cemeteries in St. Petersburg.

*Doors open at 6

To register for this FREE event, visit: https://arcg.is/09Keia

Link to the livestream: https://vimeo.com/804997581

Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds Annual Meeting

PAHG 2022 Annual Meeting.

Saturday, October 15, 2022. 10:00am - 3:00pm.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Antoinette Jackson, Professor of Anthropology, University of South Florida, and Chair and Founder of the Black Cemetery Network

 

Link

TBLC Genealogy Librarians & Archivists 2022 Meetup

Discovering, Recording, and Preserving African American Records.

Presenter: Dr. Antoinette T. Jackson is a USF Professor and Chair of the USF Department of Anthropology. She is the Principal Investigator for the African American Burial Grounds & Remembering Project: Living Communities Challenging Silenced Histories in Florida. Dr. Jackson is the founder and director of The Black Cemetery Network, a nationwide effort to support research, advocacy, and collaboration among those who work with local black cemeteries in the United States.

Presenter: Paul Guzzo is an award-winning documentarian and Tampa Bay Times journalist. As the Times culture reporter with a focus on Tampa history, Guzzo set into motion the re-discovery of numerous forgotten, ignored, and erased black cemeteries throughout Tampa Bay.

Link

PIERCE CHAPEL AFRICAN CEMETERY-Consecration

Descendants, faith Leaders, and community members will gather for a spiritual ceremony and blessing to honor and commemorate the legacy of our ancestors represented here at this sacred site.

This holy consecration observes Juneteenth, the anniversary date of freedom from slavery and celebration African American Culture. Our gathering, on this day, at this sacred site, is meant to show gratitude for our beloved ancestors, known and unknown. Their sacrifices, courage and resilience enabled them to make invaluable contributions to our country despite adversity. Many contributions are still visible today, and give rise to a renewed hope for future generations.

"Before the service begins at 10:45 am, everyone will be invited to lay flowers on the site and gather in silence."

For more information visit: www.hamiltonhood.org

Juneteenth roundtable: Who owns history?

It's often said that the winners write the history. Most times, the winners are also the landowners. Landowners control the narrative of the property they own. Who owns the land where your ancestors are buried?

Join Holocaust Museum Houston and Convict Leasing & Labor Project (CLLP) for a Juneteenth roundtable with grassroots activists and scholars on best practices of Black cemetery preservation, and lingering questions on memorialization and the ethics of public history. This event will unpack why federal protections for cemeteries are necessary for marginalized groups in America and consider how past oppression has shaped the current tensions in conversation about preservation efforts.

Panelists:

Donna Y. Stephens
Founder and Chair of the Chattahoochee Brick Company Coalition.

Dr. Antoinette Jackson
Professor and Chair of the department of Anthropology at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa and Director of the USF Heritage Research Lab.

Dr. Marco Robinson
Assistant Professor of History and the Assistant Director of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU).

For more information on Convict Leasing & Labor Project: https://www.cllptx.org/

This event is open to the public, but registration is required.

Link to event.

“restorying heritage landscapes” panel discussion (online) @ sfaa conference

Panelists: Kaleigh Hoyt (Chair), Meya Hemphill-Hodges, Jessica Gantzert, and John Pendygraft

Moderators: Dr. Antoinette Jackson & Dr. Daniel Lende

Abstract: Heritage landscapes describe the terrain of human experience, narrative, and embodied connections that combine to form stories that inform how we move through the world. Likewise, the stories that define our national heritage provide a backdrop for reconstructing new meaning from dominant narratives that continue to silence communities of storytellers that trouble the status quo. Restorying approaches in anthropology offer one way to counter invisibility and injustice. By highlighting projects on black cemeteries, communities, and histories in Tampa Bay, this panel will discuss anthropologists’ role in helping to restory what it means to be a human being in America.

Visit www.appliedanthro.org for more information.