During spring semester 2000, students in Dr. Mark Auslander's Introduction to General Sociology at Oxford College conducted research on the predominantly African-American sections of the Oxford Historical Cemetery, located approximately one mile north of the Oxford College campus. Concerned over the relatively neglected state of the cemetery, Oxford College and Emory College students and faculty have worked with community members to clean up and document this historic site. We have cleared brush, raked leaves, repaired erosion damage, planted flowerbeds and collected genealogical information on those buried in the cemetery. Both Oxford and Emory colleges have long historical links to the Oxford African-American community; it has been a privilege to work with local families in helping to restore this important site of memory and reflection. This exhibition honors the memory of those at rest in the cemetery and celebrates the many achievements of the Oxford African-American community. We note some of the painful controversies associated with the Oxford Cemetery, especially the tragic legacies of racial segregation in our community. We hope that this beautiful place of rest, so long marked by separation and distrust, will in the future come to serve as a common ground that enables healing and reconciliation -- giving equal honor to all residents of the City of Oxford.

-Dr. Mark Auslander and the Students of Sociology 101 Oxford College of Emory University May 2, 2000