Proposed addition to GPUS Platform
1. Name of party/caucus/committee and co-chair contact information- Maryland Green Party (GMD), Mary Rooker CoChair, greentyrtle@gmail.com
2. Brief explanation of approval process and date of approval-
The GMD process is to discuss the plank for 3 or more days, make suggested edits that are accepted by the author/cosponsors, and a 3-day online vote.
3. Contact Information for author: Mary Rooker – greentyrtle@gmail.com;
4. Where in Platform is this addressed: 2. Social Justice, A. Civil Rights, 3. Reparations for US Afrodescendants, (k)
5. Current Language-
(new section)
6. Proposed revision or amendment of the current language-
L. Protect and Preserve African/African American Cemeteries
We call upon government agencies at all levels to protect and preserve African/African American cemeteries in the US and its territories. Special attention is needed to ensure that these sacred burial grounds are identified and appropriately marked to prevent accidental or intentional desecration. The erasure of African/African-American history, such as the desecration of African cemeteries, is the bedrock and foundation of white supremacy. Desecration is one of the physical manifestations of genocide and historic trauma.
The Green Party calls for the immediate cessation of any and all drilling, excavation and/or digging of soils in all African/African American Cemeteries in the US and its territories. We call for the Department of Justice to bring criminal charges against all parties involved in the desecration of any such cemetery. We call for reparations and the immediate repatriation of all remains and bone fragments previously displaced from any such cemeteries to the descendant community.
The destruction of cemeteries and graveyards is understood to be a distinct form of cultural violence. “Cultural destruction during genocidal campaigns is a dimension of genocide itself and is evidence of the intent to completely erase the targeted group from existence.” (1)
We understand that such desecration is a violent, political, cultural, and spiritual act, perpetuated by those holding political and economic power committed to erasing the legacy, significance, history, memory, and ancestry of the oppressed to dominate and hold hegemonic power. Desecration seeks to launder and plunder sacred land, thus transferring wealth from vulnerable groups to landowning aristocracies.
References
1. Killing the dead: The logic of cemetery destruction during genocidal campaigns, Noa Krikler, European Institute, March 6, 2023, DOI: 10.1111/nana.12956