Archives of the Sydney Howard Gay Fugitive Slave Interviews in Mid-19th Century NYC In 1855 and 1856, Sydney Howard Gay, the editor of the National Anti-Slavery Standard and an operative in the underground railroad in New York City, decided to meticulously record the arrival of fugitive slaves at his office. The resulting … Continue reading →
Still Jumping Historic Hurdles Saving Central PA Black Cemeteries In October of 2021, the year SOAL began work at Lincoln Cemetery in Harrisburg, I had a chance to speak with Gabriela MartĂnez, of WITF –NPR Central Pennsylvania about how and why I started caring so deeply about Central Pa Black Cemeteries Gabriela … Continue reading →
after the apocalypse is a visual poem, inspired by SOAL’s restoration work at Harrisburg’s Lincoln Cemetery. Taking a creative and radical approach to Black History Reclamation–video and poetry by Rachael Keri Williams. after the apocalypse… i’m gonna start a rainbow cult I’m going to start a rainbow worship cultAnd all The ancestors … Continue reading →
SOAL’s Lincoln Cemetery Restoration Year 1 Video Montage Since finding human remains on the ground in June 2021 at Harrisburg’s oldest historically Black burial ground, Lincoln Cemetery, a small but growing cadre of volunteers have been dedicated to Saving Our Ancestors Legacy using best-practice least-harm historic preservation methods. We have recovered headstones … Continue reading →
Lincoln Cemetery: Jim Crow’s Graveyard, Harrisburg’s Black Cemeteries & How There’s Only One Left It is time to tell the true history of Harrisburg’s Black Cemeteries. Lincoln Cemetery is Harrisburg’s oldest Black cemetery, but it was not founded in 1816, 1817, or 1827, as written iron on the cemetery’s front gates…The grounds … Continue reading →
Thomas Morris Chester: Black Civil War Correspondent Thomas Morris Chester was the third child of George and Jane Chester, born in Harrisburg on May 11, 1834. He died in Harrisburg, Pa., Sept. 30, 1892, aged 58 and was buried in Harrisburg Lincoln Cemetery. Inheriting his mother’s courage, he created his legacy through … Continue reading →
I am filled with gratitude to share our first SOAL spotlight of Black History Month, 2022! Please consider donating to our GoFundMe to support the continuous efforts to bring legacies to light and honorably restore the resting places of our ancestors Jane Marie Chester contributed to the abolitionist cause through connections to … Continue reading →
