Collaboration with UVa
In the spring of 2017, American Studies professor Lisa Goff collaborated with multiple Charlottesville community members and other academic disciplines to curate an exhibit honoring individuals from the Daughters of Zion Cemetery. Coined “Gone But Not Forgotten,” the exhibit created an awareness among University students as well as local citizens to continue the progress the Preservers, Edwina St. Rose and Bernadette Whitsett-Hammond, have embarked on.
The University of Virginia’s Institute for Public History has made even further progress this summer by employing an intern to work alongside of the Daughters of Zion Preservers. Collaboration endures with the movement toward embracing public history on our grounds.
For more information about how U.Va. has been instrumental in the Daughters of Zion Cemetery development please contact Professor Lisa Goff: lg6t@virginia.edu
The Preservers
Bernadette Whitsett-Hammond: Bernadette Whitsett-Hammond (Principal) is a licensed/certified psychologist for the Charlottesville City Schools. She received her B.A. from Vassar College and her M.A. from the University of Virginia. She is a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church, maintains membership in several professional organizations, and participates in numerous community service activities.
Ms. Whitsett-Hammond is a native of Charlottesville. She grew up making annual visits with her mother to the Daughters of Zion Cemetery on Memorial Day to place flowers on the graves of relatives interred there. As a member of the Preservers of the Daughters of Zion Cemetery, she is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of this historical African American burial ground.
Edwina St. Rose: Edwina St. Rose (Principal) retired from the Federal government as an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Administrative Judge in 2008. Since her retirement, she has been working as a realtor in her native Charlottesville and enjoying her passions – the study of local history and genealogy. Edwina is a member of Central Virginia Hisory Researchers (CVHR) and currently serves as Vice President of Preservation Piedmont. She most recently embarked on the task of restoring and preserving Charlottesville’s historic Daughters of Zion Cemetery.
Jane Smith: Jane Smith relocated to Charlottesville in 1979 for graduate study in English literature at the University of Virginia after receiving a B.A. in English from Georgia State University. She is an active member of the Central Virginia History Researchers (CVHR) and the Burke Brown Steppe Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. As a Research Associate and contributing Social Media Editor for the Preservers of the Daughters of Zion Cemetery, Jane has been instrumental in the identification of the unknown burials, researching family histories of the known burials and locating descendants.
Steve Thompson: Steve Thompson is co-owner and managing partner of Rivanna Archeological Services, a private consulting firm in Charlottesville specializing in archaeological and historical research. Over the past 10 years, the firm has been involved with the archaeological identification, delineation and commemoration of a number of historic cemeteries in the area including at the Katherine Foster site along Jefferson Park Avenue, the slave cemetery at the University of Virginia and the Bowles Family Cemetery in historic Free State. Steve is currently serving as project manager for the Preservers of the Daughters of Zion Cemetery, helping the group determine the extent and number of unmarked graves that may be present there.
Intern for the Preservers
Jackie Collins: Jackie Collins is a rising fourth year at the University of Virgina majoring in Sociology. Jackie was a member of Professor Lisa Goff's "Hands-On Public History" class that conducted the Gone But Not Forgotten exhibit held in UVa's Special Collections Library. Jackie Collins is working with UVa's Lisa Goff and the DoZC Preservers to continue to bridge the gap between the Charlottesville and University of Virginia community.