A foundation preserving a historically Black cemetery in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood will receive a grant from the D.C. Office of Planning to assist preservation efforts, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Feb. 2.
The Mount Zion and Female Union Band Cemeteries, founded in 1808 and 1842, respectively, have been cared for since 2005 by the Black Georgetown Foundation, the nonprofit organization that oversees the cemeteries due to their historical significance. The grant comes from the Paul E. Sluby, Sr. Historic Burial Grounds Preservation Program, an initiative of the D.C. government that, starting this year, provides grants to preserve sacred spaces of Black history in the District.
Anne Brockett, a historic preservation specialist from the Office of Planning who focuses on the District’s cemeteries, said the grant program is the result of community activism for cemetery preservation.
“From my understanding, this was really a community-driven effort, directly to the D.C. Council,” Brockett told The Hoya. “The Council passed it and recognized the need and the importance of preserving this history and enacted this law that provides the Paul E. Sluby Historic Burial Grounds Preservation Program, which is the source of the grants.”…