Effort To Replace Slurred Gravestones Blocked

[Kadie]

Effort To Replace Slurred Gravestones Blocked
February 23, 2011 11:48 PM

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. (CBS13) — A serious mistake by the government more than a half century ago led to dozens of graves being engraved with a racial slur, but an effort by a local Eagle Scout to replace the markers has been blocked.

Joshua Michael, 15, said he spent hundreds of hours raising money to buy replacement headstones for the graves of 36 unidentified remains resting in an El Dorado County cemetery, but he wasn’t expecting so much resistance. He even secured a $20,000 grant from AT&T to buy new markers.

“I didn’t think we were rewriting history, I thought we were righting a wrong,” Joshua said.

In 1954, 8 cemeteries that were about to be flooded by the construction of the Folsom Dam were moved to El Dorado County, including three dozen graves from Negro Hill.

The Army Corps of Engineers replaced “negro” with the n-word.

more...
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/02/23/effort-to-replace-slurred-gravestones-blocked/

[Angry Dragon]

1. Hatred runs deep in this country

[LiberalFighter]

2. Change the gravestones of the loved ones of those against the change.

[MineralMan]

3. Very interesting. I wonder if, in 1954, that other cemetery

was known as N-word Hill. I'm guessing that it was. It shouldn't have been, but it very well might have been in 1954. I was around in 1954, and such things weren't uncommon.

If so, then the issue is a little more complicated, historically.

[MineralMan]

4. Doing some research, it appears that the place in California was

historically called by both names at one time or another, depending on who referred to it. It was a historic gold mining area. I say change the markers.

[Sal Minella]

5. Yup. n/t

[Ken Burch]

7. Good point. There used to be a lot of offensive place names in this country.

n/t.

[Ken Burch]

6. It sounds like the person who's fighting the change wants an investigation

of WHY the gravestones had the slur engraved on them, and is concerned that changing them would destroy the evidence. Also, from what I read in the link he seemed to be concerned that simply changing the headstones would have the effect of sweeping the incident under the rug. I'm not necessarily agreeing with the guy, but it may not be as simply as it looks.

[FSogol]

8. I heard of a similar Eagle Scout project where a scout wanted to repair a damaged

Civil War era graveyard at a Church. His project was denied since the County claimed that he would have to contact the living relatives of all people interred there to get permission before proceeding. The "newest" grave in the cemetery was 1860 something.