The National Bar Association Joins the Fight for Black Cemeteries

THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION JOINS THE FIGHT FOR BLACK CEMETERIES

ARE WE LOSING OUR BLACK CEMETERIES? BLACK LIVES MATTER IN LIFE AND DEATH. THE FIGHT CONTINUES JUSTICE FOR BLACK CEMETERIES.

Washington, D.C. – The National Bar Association stands in support of the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act which was signed into law as part of H.R.2617, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.

Throughout the United States, the fight for Black cemeteries is being fought on several fronts in a growing movement urging the nation to value and honor Black life and death. The issue has been chronicled on 60 Minutes, the New York Times, CNN, and NPR.

“Black cemeteries are being disturbed and destroyed for industrial and infrastructure developments,” shared Dominique D. Calhoun, President of the National Bar Association. Recognizing the concern and the need to protect our historic cemeteries facing desecration, President Calhoun disclosed that he will be establishing a Task Force to look into the neglect of Black cemeteries, specifically those that have been targeted by developers. One of the members of the Task Force is prominent Civil Rights Attorney and past President of the National Bar Association, Benjamin Crump, who “is seeking justice for Black burial grounds and for the concerned citizens and descendants of those buried there. Cemeteries don’t just honor our ancestors; they tell our history.” Further, Attorney Crump added, “I am particularly concerned about what is happening in my home state of Florida, in cities like Pompano Beach and Clearwater.”

President Calhoun and Attorney Crump indicated that the Task Force will begin by investigating the recent sale of 4.5 acres of land in Westview Community Cemetery, Pompano Beach, to a developer who intends on building warehouses on the cemetery land despite the community’s outcry that the land was not for sale because the land did not belong to those who sold it.

About the NBA
The National Bar Association was founded in 1925 and is the nation’s oldest and largest bar association comprised predominantly of African American lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students. With a network of over 67,000 individuals, the NBA has over 80 chapters throughout the United States and has affiliations with lawyer organizations in Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom, Morocco, and throughout the Caribbean. To learn more about the National Bar Association, visit www.nationalbar.org.