Shelter Series: Digging into North Carolina’s African American Cemeteries
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Join us for a presentation about North Carolina’s African American cemeteries on Tuesday, March 8th from 4-5:30pm
Historic African American cemeteries are numerous around the state of North Carolina. Some are formally identified and recognized, many are not. Join us for a shelter series discussion with Melissa Timo, Shawn Patch, and Debra Taylor Gonzalez to learn more about the role these vital historic and archeological resources play in telling the story of slavery, segregation, and self-determination in North Carolina’s African American Communities and why we need to recognize and designate these sites as historic places.
Melissa Timo (State of NC Archaeologist and Historic Cemetery Specialist) will give an overview of the state’s historic African American Cemeteries and her office’s role in their identification, preservation and protection.
Shawn Patch (New South Associates) will share similar characteristics and patterns found through archaeological investigations of two cemeteries of enslaved communities in Granville County and a project to identify groups of similar cemeteries for a multi property National Register Nomination.
Debra Taylor Gonzalez (Friends of Geer Cemetery) will share the history and significance of Durham’s Geer Cemetery, its preservation challenges, and recent successes.