Within Oak Dale Cemetery in Urbana, many African Americans were buried without proper respect in unmarked and segregated graves. Buried in this section of the cemetery are prominent members of the community who ran businesses, worked, and raised families.
Now, to honor their memories, students of Urbana High School are constructing a monument dedicated to all African-American men, women, and children buried in those unmarked graves. Chris Endres is a teacher at UHS and believes theirs are names worth remembering.
The students hope to raise enough money through donations to erect the monument by next year.
