Preserving Yoakum’s Black History

  • David Mitchell visits the grave of his great-grandmother Salle Mae Granger at the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery last Wednesday, Jan. 25.
    David Mitchell visits the grave of his great-grandmother Salle Mae Granger at the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery last Wednesday, Jan. 25.
  • Yoakum Memorial Association President Vanitia Cheeves wipes a headstone at the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery on Monday, Jan. 23.
    Yoakum Memorial Association President Vanitia Cheeves wipes a headstone at the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery on Monday, Jan. 23.
  • David Mitchell walks back to his work truck after a visit to his great-grandmother’s grave last Wednesday.
    David Mitchell walks back to his work truck after a visit to his great-grandmother’s grave last Wednesday.
  • David Mitchell recalls visiting Yoakum’s historic Black cemetery when he was 12 or 13.
    David Mitchell recalls visiting Yoakum’s historic Black cemetery when he was 12 or 13.
  • A Yoakum Memorial Association volunteer collects litter from the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
    A Yoakum Memorial Association volunteer collects litter from the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

    For the first time in many years, David Mitchell visited his great-grandmother's grave without having to trudge through dense overgrowth and litter. Yoakum’s historic black cemetery is no longer hidden beneath years of neglect courtesy of labor-intensive clean-up efforts from local volunteers last month.

     

    For Mitchell, the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery is a site where he can relax, recall fond memories and be with his ancestors. 

     

    “We were a Christian family. We were raised in Church knowing right from wrong. We were a pretty tight-knit family. My mom would tell us how her parents and grandparents were nice, sweet people,” said Mitchell at the cemetery. “I remember coming out here. The family would come down; we would clean the graves.”

     

    Even after the grounds fell into disrepair, Mitchell would drive through tangled vegetation to be with his family buried at the historic black cemetery tucked away near the City’s municipal waste facility. 

     

    During more than three decades of service with the Yoakum Public Works Department, Mitchell often used breaks to visit his great-grandmother Salle Mae Granger and other relatives at the cemetery. 

     

    “I come out here to reminisce sometimes….,” said Mitchell. “I just relax for a little while.”

     

    Using grant funds through the Yoakum Economic Development Corporation, donations from local organizations and personal money, Vanita Cheeves and the Yoakum Memorial Association began transforming the neglected cemetery with hard work and industrial equipment. Volunteers spent several days cutting and clearing brush from the historic site in mid-January. 

     

    Uneven land, gravestones hidden beneath brush and the threat of snakes were not enough to ward off the volunteers. Although there had been challenges along the way, Cheeves said she was "exceedingly proud and amazed that we have gotten this far this quickly.”

     

    “I think we are doing a service to the African American community because we are bringing our ancestors to light – the people that have paved the way for us through slavery and Jim Crow,” said Cheeves. “We are making their final resting place beautiful.”

     

    Once the volunteers complete the initial landscaping, the Yoakum Memorial Association will dedicate all purchased equipment to maintain the grounds and preserve the history at the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery. Cheeves anticipated completing the first phase of work by late January or early February.

     

    “Right now, it is beautiful,” said Mitchell at the cemetery. “As long as I am living, I will come here.”

     

    In honor of Black History Month, Cheeves will host a presentation on the Yoakum City Colored Cemetery and preserving Yoakum’s Black history at the Carl and Mary Welhausen Library on Feb. 7 and Feb. 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.