Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® Partners with City of Greenbelt to Honor the Final Resting Place of Enslaved People

Members of the Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter (PEO) of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® recently answered the call to help honor enslaved people buried at the historic Turner Family Cemetery. The City of Greenbelt and Mayor Emmett V. Jordan invited members of the chapter’s “Enhancing Our Environment” Committee to tidy up the unmarked graves by removing brush, weeds and debris. City of Greenbelt Environmental Coordinator Kevin Carpenter-Driscoll and Park Ranger Liz Thomas led the team to the historical site and pointed out the moss-covered stones that represented markers for the individual burial plots of enslaved people.

Turner Cemetery is named for the Turner family, who also established a plantation in the area. A glass covering protects the one remaining gravestone, and located nearby is a sign explaining its history. Over the years, the cemetery has expanded to become part of the Greenbelt Cemetery.

The hallowed ground with the unmarked stones is located under many large, shady trees not far from a section of the cemetery still in use today. Greenbelt’s unmarked stones at the historic Turner Cemetery are featured in the powerful, 40-minute documentary Unmarked. To learn more about this part of America’s history, view the trailer for Unmarked.

“It is important that we honor the lives of the enslaved by treating their final resting places with the dignity and respect they were denied in life,” said Karen S. Hicks, PEO President. “Preserving these graves serves as a powerful reminder to the community of the vital role enslaved people played in building and sustaining the state of Maryland.”