Oak Ridge Cemetery is planning to provide maps, brochures, and events focused on the stories of African American people buried in formerly-segregated areas of the cemetery.

For Lashonda Fitch, the project is personal. She is the first African-American director of the cemetery and she is making it her goal to share the stories of people who are often forgotten.

Fitch started her job as Executive Director in September of 2019. For the new history initiative, she is working with the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum and local volunteers.

The team will collect photos and stories of those buried in sections 4, 5A, 24, and 40 of the cemetery, which were designated as “colored” sections when the cemetery was segregated.

Fitch says this initiative is particularly important for young generations of Illinoisans, as they learn more about the racial history of the state.

According to our news partners at WAND TV Oak Ridge Cemetery was awarded $150,000 as part of a $182 Million appropriations bill secured by Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.