The (NOT) Forgotten River Road Black Community

The Moses African Cemetery is where the post-Emancipation Black River Road Community buried their beloved family members for over half a century; hundreds of people were buried, including community leaders and Civil War veterans. The Macedonia Baptist Church cared for the cemetery through this era, and is the last remaining institution of the community. The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) seeks to stop the desecration of Moses Macedonia Cemetery, preserve the rich history of this once thriving African community, and consecrate Moses Macedonia Cemetery with a memorial and museum on River Road in Bethesda, Maryland.

Activists share stories of displacement, erasure of memories, and dishonoring of the dead, while working for acknowledgement and repair.

Presented by Rev. Segun Adebayo, Pastor, Macedonia Baptist Church; Dr. Marsha Coleman Adebayo, President, Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC); Trustee Harvey Matthews, Sr., River Road Resident, and Mr. Robert Stubblefield, BACC Board Member

This program is presented in association with Undesign the Redline, an exhibit created by Designing the We that explores the history of explicit race-based exclusion, specifically in upper Northwest DC. The exhibit helps us understand why inequities in housing and wealth persist, and encourages us to ask how we can “undesign” these wrongs. Suitable for middle-school aged children and older. Undesign the Redline is on display from April 11-July 11, 2024 at the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Find the schedule of other programs like this one and learn more at undesigndc.org.