A decision to move the remains of hundreds African American tenant farmers from a former Virginia tobacco plantation to a dedicated burial ground has elicited a range of emotions among the sharecroppers’ descendants.
Some worry about the implications of disturbing the graves of people who were exploited and enslaved. Others hope the remains can be identified and reburied with more respect than they were afforded in life.
The mostly unidentified remains are being moved from a site that had been part of one of the nation’s largest slave-owning operations, to make way for an industrial park.
“I don’t think anybody would want their ancestors exhumed or moved,” said Jeff Bennett, whose great-great-great grandfather was buried at the plantation. “But for them to give us a lot of say so in the new cemetery, down to the design details and the plaques and memorials that we put up, I feel like (they’re) really doing it in a dignified way, in a respectful way.”
If one of my ancestors was buried in an anonymous grave somewhere, I’d rather they get moved somewhere more fitting. Especially if they were buried on the plot of land that had worked them to death.
Virginia loves industrial parks. The state makes the counties feel like they are losing money if they don’t take advantage of the state incentives. I live in a small county with no cities and we have 5 industrial parks, most less than half full.
Remove all graves. What a fucking waste of space. Ban cemeteries and coffins entirely.
I understand the sentiment nowadays, particularly with coffins. But calling the mass enslavement and murder of black people a waste of space even though it’s been there for nearly a century or more is odd. The industrial park is a better use of space?
Note: I’m all for a historical marker. We need to know, face, and understand our history.
Anything is a better use of space than a bunch of dead people…
