By SHERI GASSAWAY
Missouri Correspondent
Hillsdale, MO – With spring in full bloom, Greenwood Cemetery recently put out a call for help in tidying up the grass and weeds at the historic African American burial ground and as always, members of the St. Louis Chapter of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) stepped up to help.
Between 25 and 30 EWMC members from IBEW Locals 1 and 1439 spent April 8 picking up debris, mowing grass and trimming weeds around headstones. Established in 1874, the cemetery, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was the first commercial burial ground for local African Americans.
“The turnout was amazing, and we got a lot done,” said Sylvester Taylor, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection partnership, co-founder and president of the local EWMC chapter. “I’d like to personally thank all of our members for giving up their Saturday to help.”
This wasn’t the first time EWMC members helped in cleanup efforts. The cemetery is one of their community service projects, and every year in the late fall they spend the better part of a day clearing brush, removing dead limbs and cleaning headstones.
Greenwood, which is a 5013C non-profit organization, is the final resting place for about 50,000 African Americans, including Harriet Robinson Scott, Freedom Suit Plaintiff and wife of Dred Scott, and Lucy Delaney, an author, activist and Masonic member.
The cemetery has proven to be a valuable teaching tool for students in the St. Louis County public schools as well as college and university students from University of Missouri at St. Louis and William Woods University, which have used the site to teach anthropology, history, mathematics and other disciplines.
For more information on Greenwood, visit greenwoodstl.org.
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