ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This week, the Black Cemeteries Network is kicking off its first convention in Tampa Bay.
The conversations, research, and legislation surrounding the erased African American cemeteries first gained traction in Tampa Bay. With Zion Cemetery and the cemeteries on the Tropicana Field property, leaders and educators are taking the lead by hosting their first Black Cemetery Network conference.
Patricia NiBlack Jackson is a descendant of a person buried at Evergreen Cemetery — that’s one of three cemeteries that now sits where Tropicana Field’s parking lot and the interstate are located. NiBlack Jackson said she learned early on her grandfather, William Bradley was buried at that cemetery…