Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. Founder and Curator of the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project at the People’s Memorial Legacy Park in Haltom City, Texas.

Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.

Founder and Curator of the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project at the People’s Memorial Legacy Park in Haltom City, Texas. | Link: https://youtu.be/ilUnXZTwCww?is=yFnQlHEGKbd2h4AR

Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. is a Fort Worth minister, community advocate and historical preservationist dedicated to recovering and honoring the neglected stories of African American pioneers, military veterans and community builders throughout Tarrant County.

He serves as Senior Pastor of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, president of the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas and chaplain of the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association. He is also the founder and curator of the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project, a community-based initiative created to discover, document, preserve and celebrate the lives of those buried at the historic Fretwell Cemetery–New Trinity Cemetery, now recognized as the People’s Memorial Legacy Park.

Pastor Tatum’s journey began on July 28, 2025, when he located the gravesite of Technician Fifth Grade Florence Marie Cole Rawls, a member of the legendary 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. Her gravesite had gone largely unattended for decades. The difficulty of locating her grave—and the neglected condition of the surrounding cemetery—convinced Pastor Tatum that something had to be done.

What began as a search for one veteran’s grave soon became a movement to recover the history of an entire community.

With the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office Labor Detail taking the lead, military service organizations, Buffalo Soldiers groups, churches, elected officials and community volunteers joined Pastor Tatum in supporting a major restoration effort. On October 11, 2025, he led volunteers participating in the City of Fort Worth’s Annual Neighborhood Litter Stomp as they prepared the sacred grounds for a Veterans Day ceremony honoring Florence Marie Cole Rawls and the generations of people resting beside her.

The cemetery’s history reaches back to the nineteenth century. When the Reverend Greene Fretwell, a formerly enslaved minister, died in 1886, white cemetery officials refused to allow him to be buried in their cemetery. His widow, Mother Frances Fretwell, responded with courage and determination. She traveled on horseback from farm to farm and house to house, asking families to help purchase land for a cemetery and church.

She made them a promise: “If you help purchase the land, your family will have a place to be buried forever.”

In 1889, Mother Fretwell purchased several acres near what is now the intersection of Northeast 28th Street and North Beach Street. The property became the home of New Trinity Methodist Church and a permanent burial place for African American families.

Today, more than 8,000 people are believed to be buried on these historic grounds. They include ministers, domestic workers, educators, political leaders, community pioneers and more than 500 Black military veterans. Fort Worth’s first Black physician and many other significant figures in the history of Fort Worth and Tarrant County also rest there.

Among the veterans are men and women connected to some of the most distinguished Black military units and service movements in American history, including the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the Buffalo Soldiers, the Red Ball Express and Black soldiers who served during World War I. Their presence makes the People’s Memorial Legacy Park one of Tarrant County’s most important—and largely untold—repositories of African American military history.

From the Civil War to the War on Terror, the People’s Memorial Legacy Park pays tribute to the courageous men and women who fought for freedom abroad—even while being denied the fullness of freedom at home.

Their lives inspired Pastor Tatum to establish the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project—an intergenerational movement committed to recovering their names, preserving their stories and ensuring that their contributions are never forgotten.

In January 2026, Pastor Tatum led members of the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other community volunteers in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Together, they collected and respectfully removed wreaths placed during the Wreaths Across America observance. The gathering reflected Dr. King’s vision of people from different backgrounds working together to fulfill America’s promise.

The following month, Pastor Tatum and members of the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association began identifying additional historical figures buried at the cemetery, including individuals connected to Negro League baseball and other important chapters of African American history.

A partnership with volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the door to an ambitious Juneteenth Find a Grave documentation project. The idea was especially meaningful to Pastor Tatum because his initial search for Florence Marie Cole Rawls’ grave had taken nearly three hours. The project would make it easier for descendants, researchers, veterans’ organizations and members of the public to locate the people buried there.

On May 16, 2026, volunteers returned to the cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day, followed by another sacred community ceremony of remembrance.

During Juneteenth 2026, the City of Haltom City adopted a proclamation honoring those buried at the cemetery. Volunteers, churches, military families, historians and members of the news media gathered beneath the cemetery’s “Togetherness Tree” for the Juneteenth Find a Grave Project. In a remarkable display of unity and service, volunteers documented the cemetery in a single day.

During the commemoration, Pastor Tatum and the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project honored descendants of the Fretwell and Baker families for their sacrifices and more than a century of faithful stewardship. Their commitment helped keep Mother Frances Fretwell’s promise alive—that the families who helped secure the land would always have a place where their loved ones could be buried with dignity. 

In a surprise announcement, JustServe representative Beverly Blaylock presented Pastor Tatum with the America250 Heart of Service Award. Created through a collaboration between JustServe and America250, the award honors extraordinary volunteers and community leaders whose service strengthens communities and inspires others during the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The recognition supports America250’s goal of making 2026 the largest year of service in American history. The commemorative medallion features the JustServe emblem on one side and the America250 emblem on the other, symbolizing their shared commitment to volunteerism, service and stronger communities.

In July 2026, Haltom City issued another proclamation recognizing Buffalo Soldiers Day. On July 28, Pastor Tatum led New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Program, the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association and volunteers from across the region in honoring the African American veterans resting on the grounds.

As an expression of appreciation, New Mount Rose served barbecue to local police officers, Haltom City Council members and city employees in recognition of their service and support for the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project.

On August 20, 2026—National Slavery Remembrance Day—the community marked the first anniversary of the cemetery’s renewed public commemoration. Descendants of formerly enslaved people and descendants of former slaveholders assembled near the original foundation of New Trinity Methodist Church for prayer, dialogue and reflection. Together, they committed themselves to remembering the past, healing historical wounds and educating future generations.

During the gathering, Pastor Tatum presented Dr. Spencer Smith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the prestigious Stone of Hope Award. The award recognized Dr. Smith’s dedicated service at the historic park and his commitment to creating the Table of Togetherness—a living expression of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of unity, reconciliation and the Beloved Community (https://youtu.be/jtTr5A1elmg?is=uWW3Zm8-rRSjZwxw).

Pastor Tatum is now leading an effort to designate a portion of Northeast 28th Street as the Red Ball Express Memorial Highway. The proposed designation would recognize the military leadership that depended upon the historic operation—including General George S. Patton—while centering the predominantly African American drivers of the Red Ball Express who transported critical supplies to Allied forces during World War II.

The proposed highway would also honor Technician Fifth Grade Douglas Westbrook, a Red Ball Express veteran who rests at the People’s Memorial Legacy Park along Northeast 28th Street.

For Pastor Tatum, these historic grounds are much more than a cemetery. They are a sacred classroom without walls—a place where the souls made of gold among Fort Worth and Tarrant County’s Black pioneers can be recovered, studied, honored and introduced to future generations.

Pastor Tatum calls this educational experience “Hunting for Heroes.” He has developed an interactive history-discovery game that encourages children to explore their heritage while experiencing the excitement of discovery through history and STEM-based learning. The goal is to transform the cemetery into a place where young people can encounter history, identify heroes and understand that their own lives are part of a continuing legacy.

Through the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project, Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. continues bringing churches, military organizations, public agencies, historians, volunteers and families together around one sacred responsibility: to promote, preserve and protect the legacy of those who came before us.

Pastor Tatum is also determined to secure recognition for the cemetery through the Texas Historical Commission’s Historic Texas Freedmen’s Cemetery Designation Program. Established through Senate Bill 217, authored by Senator Royce West, the program recognizes qualifying Texas cemeteries containing the graves of formerly enslaved people and provides for a state medallion identifying approved sites. The law took effect on September 1, 2025. Texas Legislature—Senate Bill 217⁠

Recognition through this historic program would help ensure that the Fretwell Cemetery–New Trinity Cemetery is permanently acknowledged as a sacred resting place for formerly enslaved people, their descendants, Black pioneers and military heroes whose sacrifices helped build Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas and the nation.

Pastor Tatum’s commitment remains clear:

“They were buried in silence. We will raise their names in resilience.”

Pastor Tatum and the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project will continue their work until every soul made of gold is recovered, recognized and respected by all who call Tarrant County home.