Unearthing Green-Wood Cemetery’s Black History

Our season premiere tells the story of a little-known, near-destroyed section of the Cemetery where African Americans are buried.

2 min readJun 19, 2022

Founded in 1838, Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn, New York, is one of the earliest (and most famous) rural cemeteries in America. Its grandiose, park-like setting is scattered with notable burial sites and architectural masterpieces — which is why Green-Wood has been designed a National Historic Landmark. However, few people are familiar with the humble section of Green-Wood Cemetery where African Americans are buried.

ARCHIVAL IMAGE FROM NYPL DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

In 2017, the seven lots that make up the Freedom Lots were restored by Green-Wood’s conservation staff and a group of student interns. This first episode of this season tells the story of these lots — and the people of color who took action to not only preserve the physical graves but the memories of those buried there.

GUESTS

Our guests include Green-Wood’s Director of Restoration and Preservation, Neela Wickremesinghe; staff Historian, Jeff Richman; and Darryl Jones (Neela’s former intern who now works for the cemetery full time)!