“A group of eighth graders found two unmarked cemetery plots where black inhabitants were buried. They placed a plaque on the graves this week to remember the families. . . . They did not know the families interred. Nor were they related, as far as anyone knew. Instead, they discovered 12 graves as part of an eighth-grade project studying the town’s overlooked African-American history. . . . “’We wanted to give voice to the people who history passed over,’ said Rafel Alshakergi, 14, now a freshman at North Olmsted High School. ‘I was saddened by this. But I’m happy these people are finally getting some recognition.’ ” To read the complete article, click here.
Thank you, Laura, for your piece about the eighth graders in Ohio searching for information and knowledge about the early black families of the town and working to accurately mark the graves with a headstone. You so eloquently conveyed their compassion and drive to dignify people who “history passed over”. Kids are something. It is so exciting when teachers and students have the spark and tend the fire. Well done, all.