Members of the St. Paul's Preservation Society say Sheppard Construction's proposed landfill would impact the grave sites, some dating back to 1739.
Much of Lillie Bell Smalls' history lies underneath this ground."My great-great grandmother, all her people were buried here," said Smalls.
Ancestors are buried in King's cemetery, a history she passes on to her children's children.
"They used to horse and wagon. I showed my son where they used to have the horse and wagon bring them, and people would walk behind the wagon singing their song," said Smalls.
But St. Paul's Preservation Society members say a proposed landfill could impact or destroy these grave sites and the history connected to it.
"It could flood the cemetery depending on what happened with the water table," said St. Paul's Preservation Society member, Maggie Ridge.
But community members say they'll keep fighting to save their past. It's estimated that nearly one thousand graves lie beneath the area. DHEC says it has yet to issue permits for the proposed landfill.
I should also mention that the King Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Additional information can be found at ttp://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/charleston/S10817710169/index.htm.
It does a disservice to the African American community to assume that all cemeteries must look alike or can be judged using the same criteria. Rural traditional African American cemeteries -- such as King Cemetery -- are fundamentally different than Euro-American cemeteries.
For example, while Euro-Americans view any cemetery as having a finite number of these burial plots, the traditional African American view is that there is "always room for one more." The point is not owning a plot or limiting those buried, but ensuring that one is buried with one's ancestors -- taking the last journey among friends, relatives, and loved ones. As for the appearance, this may be the result of African Americans having few opportunities to devote time and energy to cleaning cemeteries, although it can be explained just as easily as the culture never participating in the beautification of death that Euro-Americans embraced.
What remains constant, regardless of the "appearance" of the cemetery or whether it meets any particular artificial standard, is that it represents a sacred site. It is where loved ones were buried. It is where those who came before anticipated they would have eternal rest.
Another constant is that under South Carolina law the knowing and willful desecration and damage of a cemetery is a felony (South Carolina Code of Laws Section 16-17-600 et seq). It doesn't matter what the cemetery "looks like," you don't damage it. You respect it and those buried there.
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