Historic Eden Cemetery

FRIENDS OF HISTORIC EDEN CEMETERY (FOHEC)
&
AVENGING THE ANCESTORS COALITION (ATAC)
invite you to

A DAY TO HONOR OUR ANCESTORS

who cannot rest in peace because of racist attacks

SAT., 7/25/09, 11:00 AM
HISTORIC EDEN CEMETERY
1434 SPRINGFIELD RD (COLLINGDALE, PA)

AMERICA'S OLDEST BLACK PUBLIC CEMETERY HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY VICTIMIZED THROUGHOUT ITS 107 YEAR HISTORY BY RACIST ATTACKS BEGINNING WITH ITS OPENING IN 1902 WHEN THE ENTRANCE WAS VIOLENTLY BLOCKADED AND CONTINUING THROUGH 2008 WHEN MORE THAN 200 HEADSTONES WERE CRIMINALLY DESECRATED.

Guest Speaker: Attorney/Activist Michael Coard

Special Recognition: Robert W. Adams — Collingdale Police Chief

Michael Gura — Delco Comm. Service Coordinator
John F. Kenney — Philadelphia City Councilman
Carlene M. Neal — PHRC's Phila. Regional Director
Walter Omler — Delco Comm. Service Director
Linda Osinupedbi — Yeadon NAACP President

Highlighted Eden Cemetery Ancestors:

Julian Abele — First African American Architect
Marian Anderson — Operatic Superstar and Humanitarian
Jerome Bacon — Eden Cemetery Founder
Octavius Catto — Voting Rights Martyr
MOVE Children — Innocent Victims of 1985 Police Firebombing
Christopher Perry — Philadelphia Tribune Founder
William Still — Father of Underground Railroad (Roadway)
John Baxter Taylor — First African American Gold Medalist
Rev. Dr. Charles Tindley — Father of Gospel Music

For info about ATAC, call 215/552-8751 or log onto www.avengingtheancestors.com.

For directions to Historic Eden Cemetery, call 610-583-8737.

A DAY TO HONOR THE ANCESTORS AT HISTORIC EDEN CEMETERY

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Did you know that Eden Cemetery which is America's oldest Black public cemetery is located in Collingdale, just a few minutes from Philadelphia?
Did you know that when Eden Cemetery was founded in 1902, racists blockaded the entrance and Black folks had to come back around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and sneak their loved ones' bodies into the cemetery?
Did you know that Eden Cemetery has been constantly victimized by racist desecretion since it opened, that racists have used it for defecation, urination, drug parties, sex orgies, and motorcycle riding, and that racists last year damaged more than 200 headstones by knocking them over and by writing racist grafitti on them?
Did you know that racists even killed Eden Cemetery's security guard dog?
Did you know that Marian Anderson (opera superstar), Octavius Catto (voting rights martyr), Christopher Perry (Tribune founder), the MOVE Children (1985 police firebomb victims), Rev. Dr. Charles Tindley (Father of Gospel Music), William Still (Father of the Underground Railroad), and many, many others are buried at Eden Cemetery?
Did you know that Eden Cemetery needs a security fence to protect our buried ancestors?
And did you know that you can help raise funds for and raise consciousness about this historic Black cemetery?

You can do all of this by attending "A Day To Honor Our Ancestors" at Eden Cemetery at 1434 Springfield Road in Collingdale (right outside of Philadelphia near Upper Darby) on Saturday, July 25 at 11:00 a.m. A bus leaving from Broad and Spring Garden in Philadelphia is being provided for anyone who needs transportation. The roundtrip cost is $5.00. And you must RSVP immediately! For more information, please refer to the attached flyer. Or call Avenging The Ancestors Coaliiton (ATAC) at 215/552-8751.

Sincerely, ATAC and Friends of Historic Eden