Black Cemeteries

Commissioners unanimously approved a motion to allocate $100,000 for the restoration of Old Memphis Cemetery in Palmetto. Last week, 17 gravesites were found vandalized at the historically Black cemetery.

Thousands of Black cemeteries have been destroyed, built over or fallen into disrepair. Hear about a movement to protect them that started at USF.

“I feel like almost daily, nightly, I’m watching these political theatrics, which I don’t understand,” Gulfport Mayor Karen Love said

The Tallahassee City Commission voted 3 to 2 to approve the deal, despite vocal opposition from local residents and historians.

Mayor Ken Welch and city council members want to annex the nearly century-old Lincoln Cemetery.

A proposal to sell a city-owned golf course built on top of the burial grounds for enslaved people is sparking public outcry in Tallahassee.

Saints and Sinners cemeteries have been around for more than 100 years. Everyone buried there is Black. Now, they face a risk beyond erosion and the sinking of graves. A developer bought the 415 acres surrounding the land in 2022.

The 2.5-acre cemetery, believed to be the city's first burial ground for African American residents, was created in 1901. In the mid-1920s, it was owned by white businessmen who sold parts for development.

February is Black History Month and WUSF is commemorating it by shining a light on Floridians who've made an impact on their communities.

In search of funds to preserve and commemorate the Miraflores Burial Ground, the city of Pensacola recently submitted application for a grant through the Florida Division of Historical Resources Abandoned African American Cemeteries Grants program. During the review process, discussion of ideas for how to honor the site will continue.

Experts say these cemeteries -- located across the country, including Florida -- tell the story of bygone days that capture the richness of the Black experience. And families say it's essential to be able to pay their respects and connect with ancestors there.

The rundown state of the historic Black cemetery is at the center of a legal battle over who is in charge of its operation, upkeep and land.