Reclaiming Our Roots: Hall of Fame Honoree RosieLeetta Reed Helps Lead Historic Juneteenth Preservation Movement at People’s Burial Park.

 

Reclaiming Our Roots: Hall of Fame Honoree RosieLeetta Reed Helps Lead Historic Juneteenth Preservation Movement at People’s Burial Park

By Black Texans, Inc. 

FORT WORTH — Hidden beneath the grass, weathered headstones, and quiet pathways of Historic People’s Burial Park rests a powerful chapter of North Texas history.

More than 7,700 African American pioneers — veterans, pastors, educators, laborers, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, mothers, fathers, and children — lie buried at the historic cemetery near the intersection of Northeast 28th Street and North Beach Street in Haltom City.

For generations, many of their stories remained scattered across fading records, unmarked graves, forgotten family histories, and undocumented burial sites.

Now, an extraordinary coalition of churches, civic leaders, historians, law enforcement agencies, and volunteers is preparing to change that forever.

In what organizers describe as one of the largest African American cemetery preservation efforts in recent North Texas history, New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the City of Haltom City, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association are joining together for the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Juneteenth Find-A-Grave Project.

The initiative seeks to identify, photograph, GPS-map, and digitally preserve every known burial inside Historic People’s Burial Park through the Find a Grave online memorial system.

The effort is being spearheaded by Texas Buffalo Soldiers Chaplain Kyev Tatum of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church and Dr. Spencer Smith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Organizers say the cemetery preservation campaign represents far more than a cleanup project.

They describe it as a movement to reclaim history, restore dignity, reconnect families, and preserve the stories of African Americans who helped build Tarrant County, Texas, and the nation itself.

“This is about reclaiming our roots,” Tatum said. “Every headstone tells a story. Every grave represents a life that mattered. We are preserving not only names, but legacies.”

The Juneteenth initiative has already attracted more than 150 volunteers as part of what leaders are calling a major “America 250” preservation effort connected to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.

Participants will include adults, youth groups, churches, schools, civic organizations, and entire families.

Volunteers will use the free Find a Grave mobile app on their smartphones to photograph headstones and upload images and GPS coordinates directly into the national online database.

According to organizers, approximately 5,700 of the cemetery’s 7,700 graves currently lack photographs and/or GPS coordinates within the Find a Grave system.

Once completed, descendants and researchers from anywhere in the world will be able to locate burial sites digitally through their smartphones and computers.

Organizers say the event combines historical preservation with hands-on community service and intergenerational learning.

Cold water, light breakfast foods, and a barbecue lunch will be provided to volunteers participating in the project.

Leaders say the effort is also part of a broader long-term restoration vision that includes cemetery cleanups, historical tours, educational programming, memorial events, and expanded documentation projects in the years ahead.

The initiative will additionally honor the enduring legacy of Baker Funeral Home, which is celebrating nearly a century of serving African American families connected to Historic People’s Burial Park and surrounding communities throughout Tarrant County.

Organizers will also recognize the historic Fretwell family, founders of the cemetery whose vision created sacred burial ground for Black Texans during segregation and beyond.

Community leaders say the cemetery stands today as a living testimony to generations who endured racism, economic hardship, military segregation, and social injustice while helping shape modern North Texas.

Among the featured voices connected to the preservation movement is nationally respected historical reenactor and Cowboys of Color Hall of Fame inductee RosieLeetta Reed.

Reed, commander of the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association, is scheduled to appear during preservation activities on Saturday, May 16, 2026, and again during the major Juneteenth preservation effort on Saturday, June 20, 2026, both beginning at 9 a.m. at Historic People’s Burial Park.

For decades, Reed has traveled across Texas and beyond educating communities about African American military history through living-history performances, horseback demonstrations, school presentations, and youth programs.

She is widely known for her moving portrayal of Cathay Williams — also known as William Cathey — the first documented African American woman to enlist in the United States Army and the only known female Buffalo Soldier.

Williams disguised herself as a man following the Civil War because women were prohibited from military service at the time.

Reed also portrays Johanna July, the legendary Black Seminole scout and horsewoman who played a vital role along the Texas-Mexico frontier during the 1870s.

Her educational work has introduced thousands of students and families to overlooked chapters of American and Texas history.

For her decades of civic engagement and educational outreach, Reed previously received the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Communities and was later inducted into the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Hall of Fame.

“This is a remarkable achievement for the families at People’s Burial Park,” Reed said. “Now, you will be able to pull your ancestors up on your smart phone and locate them from anywhere in the world. The Texas Buffalo Soldiers are proud to be a part of this historic moment.”

Historians note that the Buffalo Soldiers were African American military regiments established by Congress in 1866 following the Civil War.

Despite enduring discrimination, harsh frontier assignments, inadequate supplies, and segregated conditions, the soldiers earned a reputation for courage, discipline, and resilience throughout the American West.

According to historians, Native American tribes gave the soldiers the nickname “Buffalo Soldiers” because of their bravery and tightly curled hair resembling the fur of a buffalo — an animal deeply respected among many tribes.

Supporters of the Juneteenth preservation initiative say the project serves as both a historical correction and a community healing effort.

They believe the work taking place at Historic People’s Burial Park is helping ensure that the stories of thousands of African American Texans will no longer remain hidden beneath time and neglect.

For more information about the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Juneteenth Find-A-Grave Project, contact Chaplain Kyev Tatum at 817-966-7625, email kptatum1@gmail.com, or visit  New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church.