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s2k_guy OP t1_iuf6h84 wrote

This is a story about a woman researching her ancestry who uncovered horrific disregard for Richmond’s largest (and possibly the US’s largest) African American cemetery. If you have driven i64 east of Richmond, you’ve driven through it. Her story about finding connection to her 4x great grandmother is incredible.

This cemetery was one of three opened at the same time. One for white Christians, one for white Jews, and one for African Americans (free and enslaved). The other two cemeteries are well preserved. This one is hard to find because not much was intentionally preserved.

This cemetery and its entombed persons were regularly the victims of medical students sourcing bodies for schooling. Later on, it was paved through for the expansion of a road, the bodies were used to make fill for the road. Much more recently, I64, the railroad, and a gas station were built on top of this land without regard to the those entombed nor their descendants.

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big-heck-nah t1_iuey8ay wrote

This article highlights so many more atrocities than the construction of i64

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s2k_guy OP t1_iuf38co wrote

I agree. I listed I64 because of how often people drive over the bridge without realizing. The stealing of recently deceased bodies for medical students and using bones for fill for a road expansion were way worse.

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CptJaxxParrow t1_iueyvwz wrote

Sounds like I-64 was the tamest of the crimes committed here. I drive past that rotting gas station every day. tear it down and build a memorial for those who were laid to rest there

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lame_gaming t1_iug0xtt wrote

oh wait until you hear about the hundreds of thousands who's homes were demolished for interstates

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kneel_yung t1_iug5cr8 wrote

more historic richmond homes (mostly in jackson ward, "shockingly") were destroyed during the construction of I95 than during the civil war

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PayneTrainSG t1_iug99la wrote

The Richmond-Petersburg turnpike is the largest remaining evil in the city and it needs to go.

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batkave t1_iuhugzk wrote

Sounds about white supremacy and capitalism. Look at Central Park, destroyed a massive community to build it. Lots of roads and highways were diverted to go through non-white neighborhoods too.

But then again people will come on here and says it had nothing to do with race.

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Kietta78 t1_iufq0c0 wrote

🤬really????

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darockerj t1_iug0zge wrote

jesus christ. it’s one of those things that’s horrific on such a massive scale that your anger is bigger than your person. good on her for doing the work, as well as anyone she’s worked with.

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Diedrik-Okeeze t1_iugewb7 wrote

I had no idea. Thank you for sharing this post.

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BiosyntheticStoma t1_iuhabrf wrote

The downtown expressway has the same ramifications

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PerlinLioness t1_iuh2v7v wrote

The federal highway system destroyed so much.

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