121 unmarked graves in a former Black cemetery found at US Air Force base in Florida, officials say

Also: More searching planned at a Florida Air Force base where 121 potential Black grave sites were found (Associated Press)

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Source: Associated Press

121 unmarked graves in a former Black cemetery found at US Air Force base in Florida, officials say

Updated 9:46 PM EST, January 19, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — As many as 121 unmarked graves in a former Black cemetery have been discovered at a U.S. Air Force base in Florida, military officials confirmed.

A non-intrusive archaeological survey performed over the past two years at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa identified 58 probable graves and 63 possible graves, base officials said Thursday, WFTS-TV reported. The Tampa Bay History Center notified MacDill officials about the possible Black cemetery in 2019, and the base hosted a memorial service in 2021, dedicating a memorial on-site to those buried there.

“We know obviously there was wrong done in the past, but we’re working together with our community members,” base spokesperson Lt. Laura Anderson said. “We want to make what was wrong right.”

Officials said they plan to expand the search area this year and will continue to work with the community to determine how to best document the site and to pay respect to the people buried there.

https://apnews.com/article/florida-air-force-base-black-cemetery-68e06053ff900f3e25db2d9de5bc5590

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Source: Associated Press

More searching planned at a Florida Air Force base where 121 potential Black grave sites were found

Updated 10:07 AM EST, January 20, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Air Force plans to expand its search for grave sites in a former Black cemetery at a base in Florida after discovering 121 potential sites already, a base official said.

Lt. Laura Anderson told news stations this week that a nonintrusive archaeological survey performed over the past two years at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa identified 58 probable graves and 63 possible graves. The base also deployed search teams to go over the area with ground penetrating radar and cadaver dogs.

It plans to look at an area to the north of the main cemetery area this year for any additional evidence of graves, Anderson said.

“That’s essentially so we can make sure that we’re not forgetting anybody,” she told WFTS-TV.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/air-force-black-cemetery-florida-e0ea212007b7104adfe340766dfcf25d