Enrichmond hires first cemeteries community ambassador

John Mitchell, descendant of John Mitchell Jr., an African American civil rights activist, has joined the Enrichmond Foundation as the organization’s first cemeteries community ambassador.

In the role, Mitchell will lead community engagement and event planning initiatives supporting Enrichmond. He also will serve as the primary contact for descendant families. Mitchell will work to cultivate positive relationships with local community members, businesses and partners and ensure inclusive and diverse programming and participation.

“I am excited to work with the Enrichmond Foundation and its community partners to restore and protect the Cemeteries at Evergreen,” said John Mitchell. “One of the main reasons I chose to get involved with Enrichmond is because I want to ensure that the individuals helping restore these cemeteries are the Black descendants and the Black community. It is important to me that we work with Black-owned businesses and Black community members to honor the individuals buried at East End and Evergreen.”

Mitchell was first introduced to the Enrichmond Foundation in 2017. Shortly after the community meeting, Mitchell joined Enrichmond’s board of directors and served on the board from 2017 to 2021. Mitchell also served on the Executive Planning and Review Team.

In addition to his work on the board, Mitchell has close ties to the cemeteries as he is the descendant of John Mitchell Jr., an African American civil rights activist, businessman, newspaper editor and politician, buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

“It’s not just about protecting my ancestor, John Mitchell, Jr., but those buried alongside him at the Cemeteries at Evergreen,” Mitchell said. “I want to ensure their legacies are equally protected.”

Evergreen and East End Cemeteries are the resting place for thousands of people who faced segregation, discrimination, and racial violence while contributing in important ways to the city’s – and the nation’s – social, political, intellectual, and religious life.

“We are honored to welcome John Mitchell as Enrichmond’s first Cemeteries Community Ambassador,” said John Sydnor, executive director for the Enrichmond Foundation. “Enrichmond has been dedicated to engaging descendant family members on the reclamation, preservation, and celebration of the lives and achievements of those buried in these sacred grounds. Adding John Mitchell’s experience, dedication and talents to Enrichmond’s operations is a critical step to focus on the continued integration of descendent family members into every aspect of our efforts in Historic Evergreen and East End Cemeteries, collectively referred to as The Cemeteries at Evergreen.”

Since acquiring ownership of Evergreen and East End Cemeteries, Enrichmond has been working with descendant family members and integrating them into the nonprofit’s board of directors. Enrichmond has also worked with descendant family members to lead more than 50 public and open meetings spanning 24 months to engage the community and formed the descendent-led Implementation Review Team to incorporate the descendent community in the reclamation process. The nonprofit has also worked with roughly 30 stakeholders and descendant family members, including Mitchell, to create the master plan for Historic Evergreen Cemetery, the first and only descendent-led master plan in Virginia.

The Existing Conditions for East End Cemetery, the first chapter of the master plan for East End Cemetery, as well as the draft preservation plans for both East End and Evergreen Cemeteries were recently released for public comment. The plans can be viewed here.

The plans will be open for public comment through July 6. Afterwards, the comments will be reviewed and edits implemented. Enrichmond Foundation aims to have the plans finalized by August 2021.