Bill before Louisiana legislature aims to preserve, protect slave burial sites

A month after the dedication of two cemeteries in Ascension Parish that contain as many as 1,000 unmarked slave graves, the Legislature is taking steps to preserve and protect such sites in Louisiana.

A bill introduced by Rep. Ken Brass, D-Vacherie would create a special commission tasked with coming up with measures to identify historic cemeteries where former slaves and free people of color were buried, give them special recognition and designate them as tourist attractions.

Louisiana is dotted with unmarked graves and neglected cemeteries where formerly enslaved black men, women and children were buried, and advocates say that it’s past time to give them the recognition and respect they didn't get in life.

“We bury our animals better than what we've done for these people,” local genealogist Debbie Martin said.

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