Evergreen Negro Cemetery Restoration 2020 Project

Fifth Ward is a historic African American community known for its special events, food, art, and unique businesses along the main corridor, Lyons Avenue. The Evergreen Negro Cemetery is located at Lockwood and Market Streets in the Fifth Ward. The goal of this project was for the Minority Burial Grounds Preservation Network (MBGPN) to work in cooperation with Project R.E.S.P.E.C.T, the current overseers of the Cemetery, to raise awareness of and interaction with the Cemetery by engaging local community organizations and businesses, and the culturally rich neighborhoods surrounding the Cemetery.

The pandemic caused a shift for the project from in-person clean-ups and re-introduction of the cemetery to the community to smaller, socially distant clean-ups and producing a series of short videos about the cemetery. Videos highlighted newly discovered headstones and burial plots and told stories of the cemetery residents and their connection to the Fifth Ward community. MBGPN created a website to post videos of the cemetery and used social media to drive traffic to the website to increase awareness of this historic cemetery. The group will continue digital outreach and plan future in-person clean ups when safe to do so. To view the videos, please go to: https://www.mbgpn.org/the-project

2019 Dia de los Muertos Festival

The 6th Annual Magnolia Park Dia de los Muertos Block Party celebrated Magnolia Park through​ Dia de los Muertos. For 2019, we relocated to the Magnolia Park icon Hidalgo Park, with the ​support of District I Council Member Robert Gallegos and Buffalo Bayou Partnership. ​Magnolia Park is a neighborhood that is experiencing twin forces of displacement and erasure. Neighbors are asking the ​question, will I be able to stay in my neighborhood? and if I stay, will I still recognize it? The Dia De Los Muertos festival​​ responds to the concern of cultural erasure by boldly proclaiming the distinctive identity of Magnolia Park as a largely​​ Mexican-American neighborhood with vibrant art, food,history, and culture.

This was a free event that featured local artists and businesses, gave community access to law enforcement, celebrated local culture, and gave access to local artists Markand Mark-Anthony Pinon. Members of the community, local small business, law enforcement, artists, and local non-profits came together to interact and celebrate. This festival showed the Magnolia Park neighborhood and surrounding communities that art and culture is not something you have to go to the Museum District or other neighborhoods to experience but happens right where we live.