Preserving Yoakum’s Black History

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 …