Special to the
Opelika Observer
The public is invited to attend the Genealogical Society of East Alabama’s quarterly meeting Jan. 19 from 11 a.m. – noon at the Museum of East Alabama in downtown Opelika.
Featuring guest speakers Dr. Robert Bubb and Jade Kinney, the focus of their presentation will be “Creating a Legacy of Justice at County Line Cemetery: A Call to Preserve and Memorialize African American Burial Grounds.”
Southern African American burial grounds are often forgotten, neglected, vandalized and abandoned; yet remain sacred spaces that embody social injustice. The group Research to Preserve African American Stories and Traditions (rPAAST) at Auburn University work for the community to identify, repair, preserve and memorialize African American burial grounds.
These grounds contain the stories of a determined and resilient people despite enslavement, segregation, convict leasing and discrimination. By telling the stories of these sacred grounds and the people interred therein, these sites can become places of reflection and a source of inspiration for those in the community.
Following is a brief background on the speakers:
- Bubb is a lecturer in the Human Development and Family Studies Department at Auburn University.
- Kinney is a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology from Auburn University.
Attendance for the program is free. For more information, call GSEA member Bert Harris at 334-887-9760. The museum is located at 121 S. 9th St. in Opelika.