African American Cemetery Clean Up at Bull Run Regional Park

On a beautiful recent Saturday morning, approximately fifty people of different faith traditions — youth and adults — met at the Harris Family Cemetery at Bull Run Regional Park for a fall clean up.  Members of Redeemer Lutheran, a Tysons Interfaith partner, were among the participants.

This final resting place of some ninety people, mostly the ancestors of emancipated slaves, was discovered in a wooded glen behind the Atlantis Water Park several years ago. 

In addition to spreading mulch on the path leading to the burial area, volunteers raked leaves and cleared debris to uncover the white markers that mark the location of interred individuals.  Other volunteers repainted these markers.

It was very uplifting to help maintain this sacred place, and to learn more about the history of this area and its remarkable people. I look forward to returning to this space.

To learn more about the cemetery, please visit https://www.novaparks.com/parks/bull-run-regional-park/things-to-do

This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.