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Orange County commission advances plan for Blackwood Farm gravesite marker
Summary
OCRCL presented a proposal for a memorial marker at Blackwood Farm, estimating a $2,000–$4,000 cost and proposing language borrowed from the African Burial Ground Monument; staff will finalize location, contact families, and plan a placement ceremony tentatively around June 12, 2026.
The Orange County Human Relations Commission reviewed a proposal to install a marker at the Blackwood Farm gravesite during its March 24, 2026 meeting. Paul Slack, director of the Office of Civil Rights and Civic Life, presented an estimated price range of $2,000 to $4,000 and said he will meet on-site to finalize the marker's location.
Slack reported that preliminary wording for the monument is drawn from the African Burial Ground Monument: “For all those who were lost, For all those who were stolen, For all those who were left behind, For all those who were not forgotten.” Commissioners were asked to reach out to local residents who have family buried at Blackwood Farm and to help identify next-of-kin for a placement ceremony.
Next steps recorded in the minutes direct Slack to meet with the manufacturer and for staff to draft invitations for a possible marker-placement ceremony on or around June 12, 2026. The minutes list outreach to affected families and logistical planning as the primary actions; no procurement contract or vendor was named in the record.
The item was presented as an informational action with assigned follow-up rather than a final purchase authorization; commissioners did not record a formal vote to appropriate funds at the March meeting. Further procurement or funding approvals would appear on future agendas.
