Descendents of Rev. Robert Jenkins gather at his headstone June 21 in Douglass Memorial Cemetery. Pictured are: Bernard Ford, Darnella McGuire-Nelson, Beatrice S. McGuire and Steven Nelson.
“I am very grateful that [the cemetery] is now being recognized for its historical significance.”
— Darnella McGuire-Nelson
Crowds gathered in Douglass Memorial cemetery June 21 to celebrate Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, with descendants of those buried there recalling family legacies of the African American quest for freedom and equality.
“It is really good for me to be standing here,” said Beatrice McGuire, whose grandfather’s cousin, Rev. Robert Jenkins, is buried in the cemetery. “I read about our past and want to know more about our history — the struggles that we have had and how far we have come.”
The annual Juneteenth holiday observes the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. It marks the day in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with about 2,000 Union soldiers to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.
“While the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln legally freed slaves throughout the Confederate States, Texas resisted for two years,” according to the National Museum of the U.S. Army. “Granger’s order had the effect of liberating 250,000 people who had been enslaved in Texas.”
The Douglass Cemetery Association established Douglass Memorial Cemetery in 1895 as a segregated, nondenominational African American cemetery and named in memory of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Douglass was the keynote speaker at the 31st anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 24, 1894, at the site now named in his honor.
“Each time we grace this space, I feel it on a spiritual level,” said Stephanie Johnson, who attended the event with her twin brother Stephen Johnson. “The people who come out and show up – it’s not about race, it’s about unity and people coming together and getting the cemetery to where it needs to be.”
For decades the cemetery was overgrown and virtually undiscovered until recent years when resident Michael Johnson learned of its history and began work to restore it as a sacred place in Alexandria’s history.
“There is still a lot to be done,” Johnson said. “We need to mitigate flooding, fix some headstones, and work on getting the memorial and gates in place. We are working with descendants and stakeholders to make this a place of honor and reflection.”
Lifelong Alexandrian Darnella McGuire-Nelson grew up just blocks from the cemetery.
“I lived two blocks away and would come to the cemetery and play,” McGuire-Nelson said. “I never knew the cemetery was here because it was completely covered in weeds. I am embarrassed that I never knew that this sacred ground existed but am very grateful that it is now being recognized for its historical significance.”