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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>The Friends of Geer Cemetery is launching a program about the Geer Cemetery, Durham’s first public African-American burying ground. The program is called “In Plain Sight” and will include ten large storyboards in the cemetery itself, tours, and three virtual programs about the cemetery and its place in the African-American experience in Durham’s history. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>IN PLAIN SIGHT, Reflections Past & Actions Present in Durham’s Geer Cemetery<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>JANUARY 23 – MARCH 7, 2021<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>An outdoor educational exhibit, In Plain Sight is a journey through the history of Durham and Geer Cemetery, an African American burial ground founded in 1877. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>PROGRAMS:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>January 23 Virtual Opening<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>January 30, February 13, and February 27 Small-Group Tours<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>February 3 Virtual Tour & Public Conversation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>February 20 Virtual Panel Discussion with Vanessa Hines, William Sturkey, Angela Thorpe, and Andre Vann<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The FOGC has set up a webpage telling more about the program. The link for that is <span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="http://DurhamInPlainSight.com"><span style='color:blue'>DurhamInPlainSight.com</span></a>. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Geer Cemetery was created in 1877 by three African-American men to provide a burial place for Durham’s black population. In 1872, the city created Maplewood for white citizens but created no public cemetery for African-Americans. This four-acre cemetery served that role from 1877 until 1925 when the city created Beechwood Cemetery for black residents under the separate-but-equal doctrine. By then, the Geer cemetery was essentially full, although burials continued for another decade as families used the spaces they had purchased. The city closed Geer by order due to over-crowding in the 1930s. During the decades that followed the cemetery was essentially abandoned and became overgrown and forgotten. During the early 2000s, the Friends of Geer Cemetery was formed by Kelly Bryant and others to save the cemetery. During the last two years the Friends organization has redoubled its efforts by renewing clean-up efforts, performing significant research into burials, and by becoming incorporated and obtaining tax-exempt status. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>