Dozens came out on a windy Veteran’s Day afternoon to honor Black military men and women whose gravesites in Haltom City had fallen into disrepair over the years.
The re-dedication ceremony took place at New Trinity Cemetery, which had been restored over the past few months by groups like the American Legion, local churches and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.
Speakers called for members of the public to help with ongoing preservation efforts.
Chad Page, commander of American Legion Post 655, was involved in restoring the cemetery and organizing the ceremony.
“It means a lot to us that we do this,” Page told KERA. “It just kind of snowballed and grew.”
New Trinity contains the gravesites of over 500 Black veterans whose stories had been largely forgotten before the restoration took place. Page said he feels the site is historically significant enough to become a destination for visitors.
“We’re going to start having some classes out here that people can participate in,” he added. “We’re going to start fixing gravestones – not just the veteran stones. We’re going to take care of everything out here.”
Pastor Kyev Tatum of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church said the public has “a golden opportunity to secure the future” of New Trinity and repay the veterans buried there for their service.
“They took the blows and the brunt of racism, discrimination and sexism because they, too, wanted America to know that we, too, are Americans,” Tatum said.
Restoration and documentation efforts came in large part from the work of those in the criminal justice system serving community service sentences.
Officer Kelley Jenkins said some of those in the Tarrant County Labor Detail unit who worked on the restoration felt strongly enough about it to come back as volunteers.
“Our participants are super grateful and super proud of what they've done,” Jenkins told KERA. “They're just excited as we are.”
“These guys, they could be sitting in jail, but they were out here with us and they’re a part of history now,” Jenkins said.
One of the trumpeters performing Taps, Leo Saenz, said it was an honor to be at the event, especially with the knowledge that his uncle is buried in the cemetery.
“History is very important,” Saenz said. “If we don’t respect our history, especially those people that paved the way to get here, then we're in some troubled times.”
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