Reburial Program
Ms. Linda Harris, Secretary of St. Augustine, and Ms. Sabrina Montana of the Umoja Committee took the lead in designing a “celebration of remembrance and healing”, involving numerous community partners listed in the program. It had three parts: a memorial mass at St. Augustine, a procession to the vault at St. Louis Cemetery #1, and a celebration of remembrance with Umoja afterwards. The Archdiocese of New Orleans, including both its Office of Black Catholics and its Office of Cemeteries, the City of New Orleans and its Office of Cultural Economy, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and many more contributed to the effort.
The UNO Department of History documented the entirety of the reburial event, and it was also covered by local media (see additional links below). The mass was presided over by Father Emanuel Mulenga of St. Augustine. Father Mulenga read a message from Archbishop Gregory Aymond and conducted mass, and Dr. Emilie Leumas, Director of the Archdiocesan Archives, myself, and Sabrina Montana of the Umoja Committee discussed the cemetery and those buried there. The mass ended with a performance by liturgical dancers from the Kumbuka Drum and Dance Collective. The Treme Brass Band would led the procession to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, where the tomb was blessed in Catholic, West African, and Native American traditions. Hannibal Lokumbe, prominent composer and trumpet player, finished up events at the cemetery, with a stirring solo, which echoed among the vaults and into the clouded skies. Afterwards, a portion of the crowd retired to the Treme Recreation Center for a repast organized and donated by the Umoja Committee. There were activities on site for children and a circle of healing to round out the day.