| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The State of Texas has a rich cultural heritage, and |
|
|
its cemeteries serve as a tangible link to its history; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, As Texas has grown and become urbanized, some of the |
|
|
state's cemeteries have been lost or forgotten, and their |
|
|
accompanying grave markers, if they were ever placed, have decayed |
|
|
or have gone missing; remembering and identifying these sites is |
|
|
vital to understanding the lives and legacies of those interred in |
|
|
them; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Across the state, there are a number of well-known |
|
|
unmarked cemeteries, including the Freedmen's Cemetery in Dallas, |
|
|
which served as a burial place for formerly enslaved people; there |
|
|
are numerous other cemeteries that were used for the burial of |
|
|
African Americans and Black Americans who lived under segregation, |
|
|
including Horst Plantation Cemetery in Austin and Oakwood Cemetery |
|
|
in Tyler; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Many cemeteries remain unknown and unmarked, making |
|
|
it difficult to preserve them, and the observance of Unmarked |
|
|
Cemetery Day on May 3, 2023, serves to raise awareness of the need |
|
|
to identify and protect these important historical sites and to |
|
|
honor the memories of those Texans whose final resting places have |
|
|
been forgotten; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize May 3, 2023, as Unmarked Cemetery Day |
|
|
and commend all those who are dedicated to the documentation and |
|
|
preservation of Texas's historic cemeteries. |