Word: ‘He hand-dug those graves’
Clayton County Commission, much to the anger of some residents, votes to relocate more than 300 graves from a historic African-American cemetery near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Clayton County commissioners approved a developer’s request to relocate 311 graves from a historic African-American cemetery next to Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport. On Dec. 16, opponents held a press conference to criticize the decision.
“I’ve seen my daddy dig many graves back there. He hand-dug those graves, so I know where they are.”
— Betty Bowden, who says she has ancestors in the cemetery, in the Dec. 18 Clayton Daily News.
“Some of these developers will put cement over their mama.”
— John Evans of Operation LEAD, an anti-discrimination group, in the Dec. 16 AJC.
“The person who wants to move these graves has met the standards of the state, as well as the board…I have invited the families to monitor the transfer of the grave sites as it takes place.”
— Clayton Chairman Eldrin Bell in the Dec. 18 Clayton Daily News.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)