Justice in the Weeds: Why People Reclaim Neglected Cemeteries

Across the United States, people are coming together to care for overgrown cemeteries—the burial grounds of marginalized people, including African Americans, psychiatric hospital patients, and the poor. These volunteer groups pull up weeds, clean headstones, and uncover lost stories. But they are doing more than yard work. They are raising big questions: Why were these cemeteries neglected in the first place? What does it say about how some lives—and deaths—are treated as less valuable than others? And what can we do, after people’s deaths, to show them respect and care?

In this talk, Professor Adam Rosenblatt shares stories from his book Cemetery Citizens, which explores cemetery reclamation efforts in Durham, Richmond, Philadelphia, and other places. You’ll hear about the challenges volunteers face, the powerful emotions that come with uncovering forgotten histories, and how caring for the dead can help build new kinds of community. The talk also invites discussion: what does justice for the dead look like—and what can it mean for the living?

About the Presenter:

Adam Rosenblatt is the Faculty Director of the Duke Human Rights Center and Professor of International Comparative Studies and Cultural Anthropology at Duke. He is the author of Digging for the Disappeared: Forensic Science after Atrocity and Cemetery Citizens: Reclaiming the Past and Working for Justice in American Burial Grounds. He is also a cartoonist and zine-maker.