School of Government faculty, students take part in cleanup effort at historic African-American cemetery

On Saturday, faculty and students from the Helms School of Government came alongside members of the Lynchburg Police Department and Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office to clear brush and debris from the grave sites and grounds of the historic White Rock Cemetery in downtown Lynchburg.

The effort was coordinated by LU Serve and is the first of three cleanup days planned at the site that will culminate in a beautification day held on April 16-17 during Liberty’s Serve Lynchburg citywide outreach event. LU Serve will return to the site with 10 students and two staff members on March 27 and April 10.

The White Rock Cemetery was the first independent African-American cemetery in Lynchburg with burial dates that go back to1885.

The opportunity was sponsored in partnership with Diamond Hill Baptist Church and Jackson Street United Methodist Church.

School of Government Dean Robert Hurt joined staff members and six students, as well as two LU Serve staff members, at the site on Saturday.

“It is an honor to be able to partner with the Lynchburg Police Department and the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office on this project,” Hurt said. “As Easter Sunday approaches, we are reminded that each of us is called to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and these are our neighbors. It has been indeed a profound blessing to help restore and preserve the White Rock Cemetery and honor all of the people buried there.”

Hurt said that the visit was an opportunity to learn about some of Lynchburg’s significant figures and even war heroes. One of the grave sites that had been recovered was that of Private Pannell R Jones, who was born in 1898 and fought for his country during World War I and was killed during battle in France in 1918.

For junior Satya Ath, Saturday was her first time participating in an LU Serve event.

“I’ve been looking for volunteer opportunities just to get to know the community more, and now having done an event with LU Serve, it makes me want to do more events like this in the future.”

According to LU Serve Executive Director Lew Weider, the cemetery was almost invisible before the local law enforcement members jump-started the project last fall.

“It was so overgrown with weeds and trees that you couldn’t see part of the cemetery,” he said. “The Lynchburg City Police and the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office then started getting involved with cutting down some of the debris.”

The cemetery will be one of many locations across the city infiltrated by university crews during Serve Lynchburg, an annual event in which Liberty students, faculty, staff, and Lynchburg residents join together with community partners to satisfy local community needs. Two years ago, nearly 2,000 people joined together to serve more than 100 community organizations in the greater Lynchburg area. (Last year’s Serve Lynchburg was canceled due to COVID-19).

“It has been and will be a great event that will have amazing impact on our community,” Weider said. “It’s one way that Liberty University and its faculty, staff, and students serve the community. We let them know that we’re here, that we care, and we want to make a positive difference in the city of Lynchburg.”

Registration is still available for Serve Lynchburg. View a list of the locations and register on the Serve Lynchburg website.