There are cemeteries all over the country connected to churches and small congregations that no longer have the money or manpower to maintain them. And when nobody’s looking after these places, they can basically disappear.
But Rachael Keri Williams didn’t want to let that happen, because she believes that these cemeteries are pieces of American history worth protecting.
While researching her own family history, Rachael came across Lincoln Cemetery, the oldest historically African American burial ground in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. What she found was heartbreaking. The cemetery was badly neglected, completely overgrown, with many headstones buried or damaged. In some places, human remains had even been exposed.
Instead of just paying her tributes and walking away, Rachael did something about it.
She founded a volunteer group called Saving Our Ancestors Legacy, and for the past five years, they have worked to restore the cemetery. Together, they have recovered thousands of headstones and repaired more than 500 of them.
Rachael Keri Williams represents The Good in America.
We’ll continue highlighting stories like this—of people doing the right thing in their communities.
If you know someone doing Good in America, send us a note and tell us their story at hi@thenationalpress.com.
