The nor’easter was not on the bingo card, but rain is cleansing, and that was very much on theme for today, so we obviously are right where we were meant to be.
At our initial meeting in June of this year, the Vick Cemetery Advisory Committee agreed that the first order of business should be to host a public celebration of the amazing developments at Vick Cemetery. I thank the committee for their tireless work pulling today’s event together. I also thank the community members who played important roles during the ceremony – Briggs Sherwood, Rev. Sherman Blandon, Alexis Johnson, Tiyatti Speight, Tracey Briscoe Barnes, Charles McIntosh on behalf of Henrietta Hines McIntosh, Jane Cooke Hawthorne, Avante, and Rev. Maurice Barnes.
On behalf of the committee, I extend a sincere thank you to all who have supported the fight for Vick Cemetery through word and deed. We draw inspiration from the late Ben Mincey Jr., the late A.P. Coleman, the late Bill Pitt, and Gwen Burton, and we are grateful for their example.
We’d also like to thank, for their leadership and support, Mayor Carlton Stevens; Wilson City Council, especially Councilwoman Susan Kellum, whose active interest in Vick Cemetery was pivotal; City Manager Rodger Lentz; and Assistant City Managers Albert Alston, Will Aycock, and Bill Bass. A heart-felt thank you as well to the Wilson human relations, public works, parks and recreation, and communications departments, the Wilson Police Department, and Wilson Fire/Rescue Services for organizing and providing equipment and logistics for today’s gathering. Thank you to Lesia Davis and the staff of Reid Street Community Center for pivoting on a dime to ready space for us when the weather forced us indoors. Thank you to Wilson Youth Council and Mary Woodard Newman for assistance with today’s guests; Heather Goff and the Wilson Cemetery Commission grounds crew, whose maintenance has helped restore dignity to this land; Braswell’s Flower Shop for facilitating the purchase of white memorial roses; The Kirk’s Florist for the breathtaking wreath stand; Eastern Carolina Vault Company for headstone fabrication; New South Associates for the foundational ground-penetrating radar surveys that have disclosed the thousands of graves in Vick; Design Dimension for the design and installation of interpretive signage; Keene Memorials for fabrication of the large granite markers; Rountree Missionary Baptist Church and L.N. Forbes Original Free Will Baptist Tabernacle for the generous offer of use of their parking lots; Beta Beta Beta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. for providing bottled water; and the Lane Street Project, the community collective that has carried a torch for Vick, Odd Fellows, and Rountree Cemeteries for nearly 6 years.
We gathered today to dispel the clouds (metaphorically, at least) that have hovered over Vick Cemetery for nearly three-quarters of a century. We reflected on the path we took to get here, but also shined a bright light on the many positive developments the past year has brought this sacred space. Today, we celebrated!
This morning, we learned the history of Vick Cemetery (and the value of volunteerism); about whom we have fought to protect and honor there; and about what measures have been taken to signal to all Vick Cemetery’s renewal. We also heard from people sharing their personal experiences of the impact and importance of this place and this work.
Today was about recalibration of relationships. Reclamation of regard. Restoration of respect.
Thank you.