SUMMARY

Last year, Congress passed a measure to find and protect historic Black cemeteries nationwide. But the money to do the work hasn't been allocated. Some aren't waiting for lawmakers to act. Earlier this summer, dozens of people came together to help preserve a pair of cemeteries in Washington. From the News Hour’s Student Reporting Labs journalism training program, Claire Baek reports.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

KEY TERMS

coastal erosion — the wearing away of land surfaces and loss of beach, shoreline or dune material as a result of natural or coastal processes or human-induced influences

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. What is the law that Congress passed that is mentioned at the start of this segment?
2. Where are the cemeteries described in this segment?
3. Why did volunteers take on the job of restoring these cemeteries?
4. Who are some of the volunteers, and what are their backgrounds?
5. How do the cemeteries mentioned in this story tie in to other important stories from U.S. history?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

Why do you think the Congress passed the African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act? What need was the law addressing?

The text of the bill can be found here.

Media literacy: Why do you think this story was reported by a journalist in high school?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do: As a class, discuss what stories from the history of your own community might need help in being told and preserved.

If you don't know much about historic memorials in your area, how could you find out more?

• Watch the following video, also from Student Reporting Labs, on work being done by stonemasons on the National Cathedral. Discuss — why is this work important to those who are doing it? How does it change the perceptions of residents about their own community?

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