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House of Delegates VA General Assembly – House Bill for historic African American Cemeteries

The African American Heritage Preservation Foundation worked with Virginia House Delegate C. Matt Fariss to implement the provisions of a House Bill that would recognize at least 36 historical African American graves at The Stanton Family Cemetery in Buckingham County and that The Stanton Family Cemetery be added to the list of Historical African American cemeteries cared for pursuant to § 10.1-2211.2 of the Code of Virginia. The Stanton Family Cemetery was placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources has developed a Virginia Historical African American Cemetery and Graves Fund Manual that is an invaluable resource that other states can replicate for its historical African American cemeteries and grave sites. Given the results of the Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) survey, the Foundation will submit an amendment to the Virginia General Assembly for the 2021 Legislative Session.
House of Delegates VA General Assembly – House Bill for historic African American Cemeteries

The African American Heritage Preservation Foundation worked with Virginia House Delegate C. Matt Fariss to implement the provisions of a House Bill that would recognize at least 36 historical African American graves at The Stanton Family Cemetery in Buckingham County and that The Stanton Family Cemetery be added to the list of Historical African American cemeteries cared for pursuant to § 10.1-2211.2 of the Code of Virginia. The Stanton Family Cemetery was placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources has developed a Virginia Historical African American Cemetery and Graves Fund Manual that is an invaluable resource that other states can replicate for its historical African American cemeteries and grave sites.

On March 3, 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed H 1523 the 2020 Legislative Session. Other Historic African American Cemeteries included in this legislation were: Calloway Cemetery, Lomax Cemetery, and Mount Salvation Cemetery of Arlington County; East End Cemetery in Henrico County; African-American Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont in Loudoun County; New River Cemetery and West Dublin Cemetery in Pulaski County; Baptist Cemetery of the African American Heritage Park, Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery, Douglass Cemetery, Lebanon Union Cemetery, Methodist Protestant Cemetery and Penny Hill Cemetery in the City of Alexandria; Daughters of Zion Cemetery in the City of Charlottesville; Cuffeytown Cemetery in the City of Chesapeake; Bassette's Cemetery, Elmerton Cemetery, Good Samaritan Cemetery, Pleasant Shade Cemetery, Queen Street Cemetery, Tucker Family Cemetery and Union Street Cemetery in the City of Hampton; Newtown Cemetery in the City of Harrisonburg; Matthews Cemetery, The People's Cemetery and The Smith Street Cemetery in the City of Martinsville; Mt. Calvary Cemetery in the City of Portsmouth; Evergreen Cemetery in the City of Richmond; and, Oak Lawn Cemetery in the City of Suffolk.

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