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Members of the AmeriCorps NCCC River One volunteer team at work in Richmond's Evergreen Cemetery
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Since Nov. 19, a team of nine AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members has been working at historic Evergreen and East End cemeteries, clearing brush and assisting the Enrichmond Foundation's restoration and record-keeping efforts at the two historic African American burial grounds.
The Richmond assignment represented the midway point for the “River One” team’s 10-month service commitment, which has included everything from stints building trails at Natural Bridge State Park to assisting with disaster relief efforts in Red Cross evacuation shelters in New Orleans after September's hurricanes.
AmeriCorps NCCC is a national service program where teams travel around the country to work with local and national nonprofits to complete hands-on projects. River One’s team members range in age from 18-25 and are from all over the United States. Members commit to 10 months of service and travel to each assignment via a 15-passenger van, checking in periodically at AmeriCorps’ Southern Region campus in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Julia Bina, River One’s assistant team leader and community relations representative, says she was excited when she learned the team had been assigned to work in Richmond on this project.
“For AmeriCorps this is a unique project,” she says. “We do a briefing and presentation on our project to the Corps before we deploy, … and I have enjoyed learning about the history of the cemeteries and the burial customs.”
The team has worked eight hours a day, five days a week, carefully clearing a substantial amount of brush from overgrown sections of the 76 acres comprising the cemeteries, the largest historic African American burial ground on the East Coast.
After clearing debris to reveal headstones, the AmeriCorps members document the headstones and plots, creating a record of the burial sites and continuing the ongoing work of dedicated volunteers who have been working at the cemetery for years.
It’s physically demanding work. And although it is similar to work the team has done trail building, “You have to do it so differently because you don't want to damage a stone,” Bina says. “Everything has to be cut out by hand. So, it's kind of relearning a different method of how to clear brush.”
The River One team is the fourth AmeriCorps NCCC team to work with Enrichmond, which was named Southern Region Sponsor of the Year in 2018. “We get a lot out of working with AmeriCorps besides the labor,” says John Sydnor, Enrichmond Foundation's executive director. “We can introduce the importance of African American history and culture to young leaders from around the United States. They inspire us all over again.”
Julia Bina, River One’s assistant team leader and community relations representative
Bina, a biology major and 2019 graduate of the University of Minnesota, says the work has been meaningful. “To be able to see the transformation has been so powerful,” she says. “To be able to honor the headstones and clear the dirt off of them and see the names for the first time in a long time is so uplifting.”
While in Richmond, the River One team has stayed at the HI Richmond Hostel, which has been otherwise closed to guests due to the pandemic. “It’s luxurious by AmeriCorps standards,” says Bina, who adds that the team spent weeks camping while on assignment in Connecticut.
In their free time the team members watch movies, enjoy game nights, check out local ice cream and coffee shops, and volunteer — AmeriCorps has an independent service requirement of 80 service hours. Each member receives a food allowance and lodging and a $150 stipend every two weeks.
After the River Team ends its Richmond assignment on Dec. 19, the members will pack up the van and drive back to Vicksburg, before traveling home to spend the holidays with their families.