November 28, 2025

A National African American Cemetery Database Starts in Your Backyard

Key Points

This case study identifies specific patterns of segregation affecting African American burials in the United States, highlighting ongoing issues in graveyard protection.
The research emphasizes the need for a national database to safeguard African American graveyards and enhance community involvement.
Public historians can play a critical role in creating a database, ensuring adequate protection for historically neglected African American burials.
This initiative addresses structural inequalities in burial practices, advocating for greater recognition and care of African American graveyards.

Abstract

In the United States, human remains are protected at the local, state, and federal levels. And yet, due to systemically racist residential, economic, and mortuary segregation, African American burials have not always received equal care and attention. One solution is a national database that encourages the rediscovery and protection of Black graveyards. Working in partnership with descendants, community kin, and interested citizens, public historians can contribute their skills to creating this resource. This article uses one southern state as a case study, but the patterns, problems, and solutions apply to northern and southern states, as well as around the world.1

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