WASHINGTON, DC — In Case You Missed It: Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer highlighted Senator Sherrod Brown's (D-OH) efforts to pass his bipartisan African American Burial Grounds Network Act, which would establish a new program to preserve historic African American burial grounds and to provide federal assistance to ensure that the burial sites are maintained for future generations. Brown introduced this legislation with former Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in 2019 and it passed the Senate in December of 2020. Brown plans to reintroduce the bill in the coming weeks.
"Brown said he got the idea for the legislation during a 2019 visit to Union Baptist Cemetery in Cincinnati, which was established in the 1860s and needs restoration. He described the trip as 'one of the most interesting, exciting days I've had since my time in the Senate.' He said it contains the graves of several Black Civil War soldiers, including Powhatan Beaty, a former slave who won the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Civil War; civil rights activists, former slaves and Jennie Davis Porter, who became the first African American woman to earn a Doctorate of Philosophy at the University of Cincinnati," wrote Sabrina Eaton for Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer.
In January, Brown hosted a roundtable discussion with Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III on the significance of African American cemeteries, and why it's important to preserve these sites and their artifacts. This discussion allowed communities from around the country to share information about historic African American cemeteries in their communities, as well as to learn from Secretary Bunch about best practices for preservation, education and working with local and state entities.
Read the Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer's full article HERE. An excerpt from Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer's article is below:
Sen. Sherrod Brown renews effort to preserve African-American cemeteries to overcome the 'desire to forget' Black history
By: Sabrina Eaton
February 5, 2022
When Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III was preparing to open the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall, he received a letter that complained the Smithsonian's commitment to exploring African American History would only stir up unpleasant memories. Bunch was struck by the writer's assertion that America's greatest strength is its ability to forget.
"I realized right then and there, you can tell a great deal about a people, about a nation, by what they deem important enough to remember, what they build monuments to celebrate, what graces the walls of their museums," Bunch told U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown last week. "But in some ways, we learn even more about a country from what it chooses to forget. This desire to forget moments that are difficult ... has been part of the challenge of remembering African American History."
Brown and Bunch held a virtual roundtable in late January on the importance of preserving African American cemeteries and their artifacts. Brown plans to mark Black History Month in February by re-introducing bipartisan legislation he's tried to pass for several years that would direct the National Park Service to create a voluntary, national database of historic African American burial grounds, and provide grant opportunities and technical assistance to help local partners research, identify, survey and preserve them.
The pair said there are dozens of African American cemeteries in Ohio alone and thousands around the nation. Some are major cemeteries, some are family plots, and some have been lost to decay or development. Many are in disrepair.
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