DIGGING FOR DIGNITY AT THE LARGEST JUNETEENTH CEMETERY MAPPING PROJECT IN THE NATION.

 

DIGGING FOR DIGNITY AT THE LARGEST JUNETEENTH CEMETERY MAPPING PROJECT IN THE NATION

During the America250 Juneteenth Celebrations Across the Nation, More Than 7,700 Ancestors Will Be Digitally Preserved Through the Juneteenth Find-A-Grave Legacy Project at Historic Fretwell Cemetery-New Trinity Cemetery at People’s Memorial Park

HALTOM CITY, Texas — As communities across America prepare to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary and honor the spirit of Juneteenth, a historic movement is rising from sacred ground in North Texas.

In what organizers believe will become the largest Juneteenth cemetery mapping and digital preservation project in the United States, more than 7,700 gravesites at the historic Fretwell Cemetery-New Trinity Cemetery at People’s Memorial Park will be mapped, photographed, documented, and digitally preserved for future generations through the Juneteenth Find-A-Grave Legacy Project.

The national initiative, titled “Digging for Dignity,” is being led by Pastor Kyev P. Tatum Sr. of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth and Dr. Spencer Smith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, alongside a growing coalition of historians, genealogists, veterans, faith leaders, descendants, students, and community volunteers committed to restoring the dignity and memory of forgotten African American ancestors.

Organizers say the Juneteenth Find-A-Grave Legacy Project represents one of the most significant faith-based and community-driven preservation efforts connected to Juneteenth in the nation.

“This is more than a cemetery mapping project,” Pastor Tatum said. “This is sacred work. These are our ancestors — mothers, fathers, veterans, laborers, educators, freedom fighters, and families whose lives helped shape Texas and America. Their stories deserve to be remembered.”

Using GPS technology, digital photography, genealogy research, drone imaging, and online memorial databases, volunteers will work to permanently archive gravesites and historical records that might otherwise be lost forever.

“THEY WERE BURIED IN SILENCE. WE WILL RAISE THEIR NAMES IN SACRED HONOR.”

The initiative coincides with the Juneteenth observance commemorating June 19, 1865 — the day enslaved African Americans in Texas finally learned of their freedom more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

But organizers say this movement pushes Juneteenth beyond celebration into active remembrance, restoration, education, and historical justice.

“Every grave mapped is a declaration that these lives mattered,” Dr. Spencer Smith said. “This project is about restoring identity, preserving history, and ensuring future generations understand the sacrifices and resilience of those who came before us.”

Among those believed buried within the cemetery are:

• Buffalo Soldiers
• World War I and World War II veterans
• formerly enslaved families
• pioneering Black settlers of Tarrant County
• church leaders and educators
• generations connected to Fort Worth’s historic African American communities

Supporters believe the effort could become a national model for:

• African American cemetery preservation
• Juneteenth service initiatives
• digital ancestry recovery
• interfaith historical partnerships
• youth civic engagement and education
• community genealogy research

A NATIONAL MOVEMENT OF MEMORY, HEALING, AND HONOR

Volunteers from across Texas and beyond are expected to participate in the ongoing effort, helping families reconnect with lost ancestral history while preserving one of the region’s most sacred African American burial grounds.

Supporters say the initiative demonstrates the power of faith communities, technology, historians, and ordinary citizens working together to honor those too often overlooked by history.

“This is not just about those who are buried here,” Pastor Tatum said. “It is about teaching the living who they are, where they came from, and why their history matters.”

As Juneteenth celebrations unfold across America with parades, music, festivals, and reflections on freedom, organizers at People’s Memorial Park hope the Juneteenth Find-A-Grave Legacy Project offers another sacred reminder:

Freedom must also include remembrance.

Because history buried is still history.

And sacred ground still speaks.

For More Information

For more information about the Juneteenth Find-A-Grave Legacy Project, contact Pastor Kyev Tatum at 817-966-7625 or Dr. Spencer Smith at (682) 209-8485.