Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

New Database Tracks Slave Graveyards Across US

Fordham researcher starts project to mark sites online

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 20, 2013 5:52 PM CDT

(Newser) – Fordham has launched a first-of-its kind national database designed to catalog places in the US where slaves are buried. The Burial Database Project of Enslaved African Americans is the brainchild of Fordham's Sandra Arnold, whose ancestors were slaves, reports the New York Times. The site relies on visitors to submit information about the locations of cemeteries along with those buried there.

“The fact that they lie in these unmarked abandoned sites, it’s almost like that they are kind of vanishing from the American consciousness," says Arnold. The intent is to build a "historical network of sorts," says the Root, which interviews Arnold and others involved with the project. Had something like this been in place last year, it might have saved Walmart some construction headaches in Alabama.

  (Shutterstock)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
1%
13%
1%
61%
1%
22%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 17 comments
r5473c
Mar 22, 2013 4:45 PM CDT
What a mix of feelings this news brings. Sadness and awe together. When Sandy hit the East Coast, I worried not only for my living kin, but also for the graves of my ancestors. I hope they locate and preserve these sites. They have great importance to our American heritage.
shesfireandice
Mar 21, 2013 11:40 AM CDT
All they have to do is follow the trail of tears and they'll find every last grave.
thenet95
Mar 20, 2013 8:03 PM CDT
wonder if Toby foot was cut off here haHahha maybe put all black athlete here. I want buy slave so I can have fun with black chicks
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne