Contrabands And Freedmen Cemetery Memorial Dedicated As New Site To African-American Civil Rights Network

Press release from the City of Alexandria:

Jul 2, 2021 at 2:10 PM

Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery
Memorial Dedicated as New Site to African American Civil Rights Network

News Release, July 1, 2021

On June
28, Alexandria’s Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial became one of the
newest sites listed by the National Park Service in the African American Civil
Rights Network. The Network’s collection of 57 powerful historic resources from
across the country commemorates, honors, and interprets the Civil Rights
Movement in the United States and the continuing struggle for racial equality.
Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial is the oldest and first site in
Virginia to be added to the network.

Inside
the fence line of the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial, erected in
2014, echo themes of African American Civil Rights: self-emancipation, righting
racial injustice, and civic protest. The Alexandria memorial preserves more
than 600 known graves and commemorates 1,711 African Americans interred there
during the 1860s. Genealogical work connected the cemetery’s Book of Records
(listing the names of those buried in the cemetery) with more than 1,000
descendants both within the Alexandria community and across the United States.
In 1864, the U.S. Army established this burial ground for contrabands and
freedmen, making it one of the few final resting places of its kind in the
country. Shortly after, the cemetery became the site of Alexandria’s first
known Civil Rights expression. Following the burial of 118 United States
Colored Troops (USCT) in Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery, outraged USCT
protested and petitioned for their fellow soldiers’ right to be buried at what
is today Alexandria National Cemetery. As a result of their action, the
soldiers were reburied in Alexandria National Cemetery. “This is an incredibly
important honor for the cemetery to be recognized in the continuum of the fight
for racial justice in Alexandria and across the country,” commented Director of
Alexandria’s Black History Museum, Audrey Davis.

The
nomination of the site was initiated and developed by the Alexandria
Archaeological Commission with support from the City of Alexandria City Council
and the Office of Historic Alexandria. Eleanor Breen, City Archaeologist, said,
“So many people have and continue to contribute to the history and memory of
the site – the Alexandria Archaeological Commission, residents, descendants,
the Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery, historians and archaeologists, and more –
and this honor would not be possible without their dedication.” Contrabands and
Freedmen Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places, the Virginia
Landmarks Register, and is listed on the National Underground Railroad Network
to Freedom. Commission Chair Ivy Whitlatch said, "We're thrilled to
have the Cemetery Memorial included in a network with these nationally
significant Civil Rights sites." A public dedication will be held at
the cemetery, 1001 S. Washington Street, at 8 a.m. on July 24. Additional
details will be provided on the Historic Alexandria
calendar.

For more
information on the African American Civil Rights Network, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/civilrights/african-american-civil-rights-network.htm.
To learn more about the history of the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery
Memorial, visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/FreedmenMemorial.

Appointed
by City Council, the 15-member Alexandria Archaeological Commission develops
goals and priorities for Alexandria’s archaeological heritage. The commission
works closely with citizens, government agencies, developers, and teachers to
promote archaeology in the city.

The
Office of Historic Alexandria preserves and shares the past to enrich the
present and inspire the future. For more information about the Office of
Historic Alexandria, visit alexandriava.gov/Historic.

This press release was produced by the City of Alexandria.The views expressed here are the author’s own.