Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition urges county action, cites court victories in bid to protect Moses Cemetery

Rabita Moses, speaking on behalf of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition at the Montgomery County Council public hearing March 3, urged county officials to intervene to protect Moses Cemetery and to return land the coalition says was stolen from local Black families.

Moses described the cemetery as "more than a burial site. It's a sacred ground" and said the coalition has won victories in the Supreme Court of Maryland and the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, which she cited as proof the cemetery's protection is both legally and morally required. "We will not allow our ancestors to be erased," she told the council during her remarks, which were cut short by the hearing's time limits.

Moses framed the threat to the cemetery as part of a historical pattern of land theft and racial violence and said present-day development pressures are a continuation of that legacy. She named a local land claim by "Brother Harvey Matthew," saying the site where a Whole Foods stands on River Road was once taken from his family by the KKK; she called for restitution and a museum to preserve the site's history.

Her testimony accused county officials of silence and urged the council and county executive to take public positions opposing desecration and to act to preserve cemetery land and build a museum to commemorate the site and protect Black heritage. Moses said the coalition would continue legal and public advocacy until the land is restored and the cemetery preserved.

The speaker referenced court rulings in Maryland but did not provide case names or filings during the hearing. No formal county action or response was recorded during the public hearing; councilmembers did not take a vote or announce an immediate response at the session.