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CROSSROADS TO CROSSWALKS, WE ARE HERE:

Working to Preserve Hallowed Ground at the Intersection of Dignity and Unity

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT

This two-day event brings together people, families, community organizations, cemetery preservation advocates, researchers, artists, descendants, heritage practitioners, and anyone committed to learning about Black cemetery erasure and preservation efforts and advancing dignity for the dead. Through presentations, workshops, and community conversations, participants will engage in a range of activities and be introduced to a wide range of resources, expertise, and creative expression designed to shine the light on cemetery preservation efforts at local and national levels. Practitioners and people with knowledge in areas such as oral history, education, genealogy, archaeology, anthropology, grant writing, journalism, site restoration, the legislative process, digital/archival preservation, memorialization, advocacy, and legal oversight and protection will be present.

At its core, this conference is about the future. Our focus in on working together to build for the next generation, while honoring those who came before us.

The conference highlights the importance of preserving Black cemeteries not only as sacred spaces and places of rest but also as vital links to hometown histories, memory, and identity. By creating opportunities to share knowledge, tools, and stories, the gathering emphasizes the value of working together to ensure a just future for the next generation.

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

Antoinette Jackson, Ph.D. 
Walter Jennings 
Kaleigh Hoyt  
Contact email 

Conference Program

Thursday, May 21
4:00 p.m.	Conference Check In	First Floor Lobby
4:30 p.m.	911±¬ÁÏÍølcome and Opening Remarks My St. Pete: A Hometown View and 911±¬ÁÏÍølcome Musical Performance	Dr. Antoinette Jackson Gwendolyn Reese, President of the African American Hertigage Association of St. Petersburg J'Nelle Richardson
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.	Refreshments and Book Fair
Friday, May 22, 2026
8:00 a.m.	Coffee and Check In
8:30 a.m.	911±¬ÁÏÍølcome and Opening Remarks	Dr. Antoinette Jackson & Walter Jennings
9:00 a.m.	Keynote: Challenges in historic cemetery preservation & the import of storytelling as strategy in the passage of HB 49 (Abandoned and Historic Cemeteries Bill)	Florida Representative Fentrice Driskell
9:30 a.m.	Panel Discussion: Cemetery Preservation in FL - Legal, Civic, and Community Efforts	Dr. Alisha Winn, Consider the Culture Aileen Henderson, The Cemetery Society Jacqueline L. Hayes, Whispering Souls African American Cemetery Derek Kilborn, Director City of St. Pete Urban Planning Department Patricia Meyers-Gidusko, The FLDOS DHR Grant Program Ocea Wynn, Neighborhood and Community Affairs, City of Tampa
10:30 a.m.	Cemetery Spotlight: Gullah/Geechee Cemeteries at risk in Northeast FL	Rep Glenda Simmons-Jenkins, Gullah/Geechee Nation
10:45 a.m.	Cemetery Spotlight: Crystal Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Citrus County, FL	Andrea K. McCray, Friends of Crystal Memorial Gardens Cemetery
11:00 a.m.	Panel Discussion: Cemetery Preservation in MD - Sacred Ground, Living Legacy: Ancestral/Community Stewardship and Strategies to Sustain Historic Black Cemeteries	Attorney Stephanie Franklin Donna Nelson & Eric Ashby-Bey, Point of Rocks Cemetery community representatives
11:45 a.m.	Cemetery Spotlight: Laurel Cemetery, Baltimore, MD	Dr. Elgin Klugh & Isaac Shearn, Laurel Cemetery
12:00 p.m.	Lunch and Tabling Event
1:00 p.m.	Keynote and Q&A: Memory, memorial, and preservation lessons learned from the African Burial Ground project	Dr. Michael Blakey, National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Anthropology, Africana Studies, and American Studies Director of the Institute for Historical Biology, College of William & Mary
2:00 p.m.	Community/Cemetery Spotlight: The Descendants Project	Dr. Joy Banner, Co-Founder & Co-Director
2:15 p.m.	Community/Cemetery Spotlight: The United Colored American Cemetery, Cincinnati, OH	Annette I. Bell, Trustee Board Chair, Union Baptist Church
2:30 p.m.	Educational Tools & Resources: Reaching and Engaging Youth	Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton, Director, Florida Center for PAInT
	Panel Discussion: Engaging Pre-Service Teachers in Cemetery-Based Education	Led by Dr. Hillary Van Dyke
3:30 p.m.	Panel Discussion: Tools, resources, and expertise in historic cemetery preservation and remembering	Discussion 1: Genealogy Tools Brian Sheffey, Director of Center for Family History, International African American Museum Donya Williams, Genealogy Adventures Live Host Discussion 2: Archaeological, archival, biocultural, and historic preservation  Dr. Phoebe Stubblefield, UF (Forensic Anthropologist) Dr. Davide Tanasi, USF IDEx (Historian) Rachael Kangas, MA, RPA (FPAN) Rebecca O'Sullivan, MA, RPA (Stantec) Representative from USF Special Collections
4:45 p.m.	Cemetery Spotlights: Pierce Chapel Cemetery, Columbus, GA Oak Tree Union Colored Cemetery of Taylorville, FL	Yamona Pierce, Hamilton Hood Foundation President Chief Kevin Caroll, City of Groveland Fire Chief
5:00 p.m.	Call to Action: BCN Call for Community Comment and Input
5:30 p.m.	Closing Remarks
5:45 - 7:00 p.m.	Reception and Tabling Event

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

USF College of Arts & Sciences 
USF Living Heritage Institute 
The Black Cemetery Network 

TRAVEL information

Conference participants are responsible for their own travel expenses and accommodations. You may arrive at or, and from the airport, you may use various ground transportation options to the USF St. Petersburg campus. General information about ground transportation from each airport is available below. 

There are several hotels located near the campus and conference venue. The hotels listed below have special reservation blocks and rates available for conference participants. Please make your reservations early to secure available rooms at the conference rate.

($168 +taxes per night)

• Please book before April 19, 2026

($219 +taxes per night)

• Booking Code: PIESHX (must be all caps)
• Please book before April 20, 2026

explore usf and tampa bay

One of the best parts of visiting the 911±¬ÁÏÍø St. Pete campus is our location. Our friendly campus is conveniently located with easy access to downtown St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg, along with Tampa and Clearwater, make up what is called the Tampa Bay Area, which consists of beautiful beaches, recreational activities, and a broad range of social and cultural experiences.

Download our visitor guides to make the most of your trip and explore everything USF and Tampa Bay region has to offer! 

PARKING

Visitor parking is available in the Fifth Street Parking Facility. For additional information, visit the Parking Services website. 

Questions about the event? 

For reasonable requests and questions about the event, please contact the conference event planner at CAS RSVP.