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Celebrate Black History Month through service!

We invite volunteers to join us on the first four Saturdays in February to help restore Historic Evergreen Cemetery, the resting place for many of Richmond’s African American leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries. Each Saturday has a special theme related to the cemetery’s residents and the spirit of community represented there. There will be educational opportunities on each day as well, including presentations from descendants of those buried at Evergreen.

Take a look at the themes below and ask your friends and family to join you!

Download the flyer here

February 1st – Greek Letter Day: 

Wear your sorority, fraternity, high school, college, or other alumni colors. 

Encourage your fellow alumni to join you!

February 8th – Genealogy Day: 

Wear tan, white, green, and black.

Presentation by the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society.

February 15th – Family Day:

Wear red, white, and pink. 

Encourage your family to join you – young ones are welcome!

Informative session about Maggie L. Walker.

February 22nd – African Heritage Day:

Wear red, yellow, green, and black, or other colors or patterns representing your heritage.

Details:

Volunteer tasks include clearing overgrowth, trash pick up, and grave marker recording.

Tools will be provided. Volunteers should dress for being outside the entire time and wear long pants, closed toe shoes, and bring gardening gloves. Please dress for COLD weather! Wear layers, hats, gloves, scarves, warm socks, etc.

Carpooling is strongly encouraged–parking is limited. Volunteers must sign in and sign a waiver liability form.

Parking:

Location: 50 Evergreen Rd, Richmond VA 23223

You can then park in two guest parking lots within the cemetery, or along the paved loop as you enter to the right.

Historic Evergreen Cemetery:

Evergreen Cemetery is a historic African-American cemetery, created in 1891 and located in Richmond’s East End. It is the resting place for many of Richmond’s African-American leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Maggie L. Walker, John Mitchell, Jr., and Rev. J. Andrew Bowler. There are an estimated 10,000 plots in Evergreen, most of which have become overgrown after over 40 years of neglect.

Due to the delicate nature of the headstones, use of heavy equipment is very limited and clean up by hand is necessary to preserve this part of our region’s history. Your volunteer time is crucial to the success of this project as we reclaim and maintain the cemetery.