Today marks one year since the reconsecration of Vick Cemetery.

It’s 5 August 2024, and we still have no engagement with the descendant community, no interpretive signage, no plat map, no additional ground-penetrating radar, no explanation of how the power poles came to be placed, and no idea where the gravestones are.

I have submitted to the City a public records request for all documents reflecting any discussion of or action taken concerning Vick Cemetery since 1 September 2023. I’ll let you know what I get.

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“Many of you know the old spiritual that cries out, ‘Do Lord, do Lord, do remember me.’ We must never forget the mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers, known and unknown, who sleep an unpeaceful sleep in Vick. Today’s reconsecration ceremony is the first step in restoring recognition of Vick Cemetery as a sacred space. It cannot be the last step. As descendants of these dead, we seek transparency and accountability, and demand a voice in the future of Vick Cemetery. … Though we cannot change the past, together we can create a different, better future that honors our ancestors.”  — Lisa Y. Henderson, 5 August 2023, Wilson, North Carolina.