There are more than 2,000 graves in the South Asheville Cemetery, but only 98 have gravestones. This historical slave cemetery in North Carolina is representative of a larger issue: the invisibility of African Americans in US history is compounded by the invisibility of these cemeteries—overgrown, undocumented, and lost to time. This story details Warren Wilson College’s three-decade effort to restore, map, and bring public awareness to one such slave cemetery.
From the Judges
This story is deeply tied to the mission of a school grounded in social responsibility. But it also educates readers outside of the Warren Wilson College community on an issue of national concern: racial injustice. Among lengthy articles covering complex topics, this well-organized, compelling feature stood out as “refreshing” to some judges. Writer Melissa Ray Davis brings applied learning to life by detailing WWC’s efforts to restore South Asheville Cemetery.
