SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Oak Ridge Cemetery is planning to provide maps, brochures, and events focused on the stories of African American people buried in formerly-segregated areas of the cemetery.
For Lashonda Fitch, the project is personal. She is the first African-American director of the cemetery and she is making it her goal to share the stories of people who are often forgotten.
"As a Black American who grew up in Wisconsin, there wasn't a lot of history as far as the positive history and how people of color like myself were able to be in prominent roles, such as physicians, attorneys, and these prestigious roles where representation wasn't there," said Fitch.
Fitch started her job as Executive Director in September of 2019. For the new history initiative, she is working with the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum and local volunteers.
The team will collect photos and stories of those buried in sections 4, 5A, 24, and 40 of the cemetery, which were designated as "colored" sections when the cemetery was segregated.
"We can never forget where we came from, and so this is a way to say we're still having that sacrifice and having the struggle in today's society, where there is not necessarily the segregation, but you do have the hardships of certain communities, and whether it's lack of representation, disparity, it's still occurring," said Fitch.
The initiative is already under work. Fitch showed WAND a pamphlet displaying the stories and burial sites of some of the people she hopes to highlight.
"Mae Hammons was actually a trailblazer in the school district, she started off at Champaign public schools and was a principal and a teacher there and later relocated to Springfield. And she was one of the first black teachers at Springfield District 186," said Fitch. "Another one is Eva Carroll Monroe, her and her sister Olive Price, who were the original founders of the Lincoln colored home, who provided shelter for widows of the Civil War, and their children in the Springfield community."
Fitch says this initiative is particularly important for young generations of Illinoisans, as they learn more about the racial history of the state.
"It is important for this generation to see the significance of those who literally sacrificed their lives and have paved the way for us to have the resources and the opportunities that we have today," said Fitch.
Oak Ridge Cemetery was awarded $150,000 as part of a $182 Million appropriations bill secured by Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.
Copyright 2023. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
