Teaching our youth to maintain the graves of their ancestors

  Tyra Climmons
Cleaning her maternal great-grandparents graves

Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

Growing up in Amite, Louisiana, my mother Isabel Harrell Cook took my three brothers and me to Big Zion Cemetery to maintain the graves of Jasper Harrell, Sr. and Josephine Richardson Harrell. It was very important to my mother to maintain their graves. We were taught the importance of caring for the graves. It is my youngest brother Michael Cook, Sr., who frequently cleans and paints the graves. We have been joined by Monteral Harrell and her daughter Tyra. Maintaining graves is not only a way to honor and remember our loved ones, but it also serves as a connection to our family history and heritage. It allows us to pay our respects and show our gratitude for the sacrifices and contributions they made during their lives.