The Privilege of Memory: Segregation within a Plural Long Island Cemetery

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The legacy of memory, and who is entitled to it, is an important conversation within post-Contact archaeology. This research examines the local narrative of segregation within Amityville Cemetery, located in the demographically separated Amityville, New York. While white individuals predominately live in the Village of Amityville, the hamlet of North Amityville consists of a majority non-white citizens who claim heritage from enslaved and Indigenous peoples. The two groups’ shared cemetery offers a case study of how segregation impacts contemporary settings, with local informants indicating the front of the cemetery was reserved for the white members of the Village of Amityville and the rear portion for the non-white inhabitants of North Amityville. Utilizing a grave marker survey and reviewing historical documents, this research illustrates not only historic racial segregation, but also modern economic segregation, permeated through stratified burial costs and maintenance fees. The findings show that even today, memory serves as a privilege many are not entitled to. This poster will not include images of human remains.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38921.0