Alexandria is finally making progress on fixing issues as a historic Black cemetery thanks in part to a city employee who spent years flagging ongoing problems at the site.
Douglass Memorial Cemetery (1421 Wilkes Street) has faced repeated flooding that has already washed away some of the grave markings.
The cemetery has been a burial site for Black Alexandrians since 1827 and was named after Frederick Douglass after the abolitionist leader died in 1895. Records who that around 2,000 people were buried in the cemetery until burials stopped in 1974.
The cemetery languished for years in disrepair until, at the behest of other descendants of those buried in the cemetery, city employee Michael Johnson started rallying the local community around fixing some of these issues and honoring the city’s dead.
At a City Council meeting earlier this year, Council member John Chapman called ongoing restoration efforts a “labor of love.”
“It’s great to see the work that’s going to be done this upcoming weekend, Juneteenth, but also city staff — shoutout to the Office of Historic Alexandria and T&ES — there’s an upcoming community meeting to talk about the next steps for Douglass Cemetary,” Chapman said. “I know that has been a process that’s been a couple of years in the making. It’s good to see that moving and getting the support and energy it needs.”
Johnson said the city started making minor, temporary repairs to the gazebo and walkway at the cemetery this week. Some of the bigger repairs are scheduled to kick off over the next two or three weeks.
“Right now, looking at taking care of the drainage problem, and then we’re going to move toward repairing some of the most damaged headstones that need to be cleaned or repaired,” Johnson said. “We’ve been making a lot of strides with the help of the Office of Historic Alexandria.”
A Juneteenth remembrance event is being held at the cemetery tomorrow (Saturday) from 10-11 a.m.
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If you had a chance to enhance a child’s future with a time commitment of less than 2 hours a week, how would you respond? You have that opportunity right now to join over 200 Alexandrians as a reading tutor volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC).
ATC tutors work with one child in kindergarten, first, or second grade in Alexandria public schools who need extra help with reading. Tutors meet with their Book Buddy 1-2 times each week for 30 minutes October-May at school, during school hours. Many struggling readers only receive one-on-one instruction through this program, and it makes all the difference. Last year, ATC served 195 children, of whom 82% ended the year reading on grade level and 96% made substantial reading gains. But the need is great, and we are still seeing learning lags from the pandemic.
This year, ATC plans to significantly increase the size of the program to reach over 250 students and to serve every elementary school in Alexandria. This is very exciting news, but we will only succeed if we can recruit more tutors. ATC trains you, matches you with a child, and provides ongoing lesson materials and support.
If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!
In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!
We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.
Family Fun Fall Fest
Mark your calendars and join us for the Family Fun Fall Fest on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 11am – 2pm!
This FREE in-person event will be held at the Shoppes at Foxchase, located at 4641 Duke St, Alexandria, VA
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
