Freed slaves built the Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Church, which the cemetery was named for, said Gina Hawkins, executive director of Keep Alachua County Beautiful.
Many of the tombstones lie on the ground with broken bases and covered in dirt, notably worsened from Hurricane Irma damage. Many of the graves were covered by fallen trees.
Continuing her sister s clean-up goal
Lopez’s 96-year-old sister, Clyde Williams, decided to start cleaning up the cemetery in 1999. Williams organized the Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Cemetery Restoration Organization.
Lopez took over her sister’s initiative in 2016.
“She became ill and asked me if I would take over the cemetery and try to bring it back to life and get the organization going again, which I did,” Lopez said. “We are now a nonprofit organization and what we ve been doing is just trying to raise money to fulfill her goal.”
History & Hope: Community advocate says progress has been made but we still have a long way to go
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History & Hope: Community advocate says progress has been made but we still have a long way to go
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History & Hope: Community advocate says progress has been made but we still have a long way to go
Hearst Television
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This month, Hearst Television is celebrating Black history by having courageous conversations. The fight for civil rights and justice goes back generations and has looked different each decade. We’re speaking with community leaders, elders – those who have lived through victories and troubled times, to talk about their experiences, and compare them with what we still struggle with today.
Cassandra Jennings is the president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Urban League. She spoke with Brittany Johnson, a reporter at sister station KCRA, as part of Hearst TV s History & Hope project.
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History & Hope: Community advocate says progress has been made but we still have a long way to go Share Updated: 10:30 AM CST Mar 4, 2021 Brittany Johnson Investigative Reporter
History & Hope: Community advocate says progress has been made but we still have a long way to go Share Updated: 10:30 AM CST Mar 4, 2021
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Show Transcript ACCOUNTS. USER STARTED TO REPORT THE OUTAGE ABOUT NOON TODAY IN THE SYSTEM IS STILL DOWN. WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY BUT MORE WORK STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE, THOSE ARE WORDS FROM A WOMAN WHO GREW UP IN A ONCE SEGREGATED NORTH CAROLINA. LISA: CASSANDRA JENNINGS SAYS SHE GREW UP ALWAYS ASKING WHY PEOPLE TREATED HER DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF HER SKIN. NOW PRESIDENT AND CEO OF AN ORGANIZATION, SHE DEDICATED HER LIFE TO ADVOCACY FOR UNDERSERVED INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES. BRIE JOHNSON TAKES US BACK TO WHERE IT ALL STARTED. I JUST REMEMBER GROWING UP IN T