BLACK MILITARY HEROES HONORED THROUGH CIVIL WAR-ERA GRAVEYARD RESTORATION
Black soldiers have made a significant contribution throughout the history of America. Countless wars were fought, and they were also there to serve the country no matter what their living condition was during those times. With the help of the VA Center for Minority Veterans and all other agencies, their work and sacrifices are now being acknowledged. This is just one of the many stories where they get the recognition they deserve and one of the ways to honor their legacy.
Dempsey Butler Cemetery, a modest, historically Black Veterans' burial in the center of Camden, was formerly a forgotten location. The cemetery is obscured by houses and eclipsed by a larger cemetery. A devoted longtime local named Floyd White has taken it upon himself to turn this abandoned location into a site of honor. White wants to make sure that the Black military heroes who are buried there are honored and remembered for their service long after they have died.
Restoration of the Graveyard for Black Military Heroes
The founder's tombstone, which stood alone in the center of the graveyard site as its sole focal point, was the only thing that identified the grounds, as there were no markers. According to locals, a monument that designated the cemetery was allegedly taken and probably sold a few years ago.
Floyd White, an NJ Veteran who started the restoration project, said that the only thing in the historic site was the tombstone and nothing else. Before White and other neighborhood volunteers intervened, the burial ground's value was all but gone. White has led the campaign to rehabilitate the cemetery and maintain its heritage as a veteran with almost 40 years of military service.
Over the past few years, his charity called the Woodland Community Development Corporation has made progress in reviving the site. They rebuilt the stolen monument outside the cemetery gates with a new one. They also erected markers on the graves of the eight Black Civil War warriors buried there and changed the American flag that hung over the grounds on a regular basis.
Camden's Tribute to Black Veterans and Gold Star Families
White also frequently conducts ceremonies at the cemetery to honor Black military heroes. White is the pastor of a church located a few blocks away from the cemetery. Earlier this month, a small gathering of Veterans and community members came to honor those who served in World War II, and White presented a lecture in the 35-degree cold.
According to White's presentation that day, one of Camden's frequently disregarded historical landmarks is where they were standing. Dempsey Daniel Butler, an abolitionist and businessman, founded the cemetery at Ferry Avenue and Charles Street in the nineteenth century.
Butler established the cemetery as a resting place for local Veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops and other Black people after being turned away from burial plots by white cemetery owners. Butler was a local philanthropist and is buried there with his wife. At a period when South Jersey was opposed to the idea of equality for former slaves, he used his riches to promote civil rights in Camden.
Camden's Tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military aviators in the United States who were instrumental in World War II, were among the other legacies remembered and commemorated on that day. Melvin Payne, head of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, stated that the ceremony will help people realize and comprehend that people of today are able to have their freedom because of men of color who served in the armed forces.
Red Tails, another name for the Airmen, were famous for having the fewest downed bombers during the war. With a poster autographed by Richardson, Payne added that Eugene J. Richardson Jr. is one of the oldest living Tuskegee Airmen from South Jersey.
Black Soldiers' Battle Beyond the War
According to Robert Bowell, a captain with the 22nd United States Colored Infantry, these Black troops who served in the Civil War and World War II frequently went home to fight another war, this time against bigotry and violence. White said he keeps bringing attention to Butler Cemetery and honoring Veterans because of the spirit of Black warriors and their heritage, which is sometimes forgotten.
Like Richardson and other soldiers, White’s organization will host a number of events throughout the upcoming year to commemorate the graveyard of Tuskegee Airmen. Standing close to Dempsey Butler's gravestone, White shared that the reason they continue to do what they do is because they know that the place is a sacred ground to honor the country’s Black military heroes who came before them.
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