RICHMOND, Va. -- Nearly a year after the Enrichmond Foundation dissolved, former board member John Mitchell is explaining why he stayed in the midst of nonprofit's collapse.
The Enrichmond Foundation was an organization that served as an umbrella organization for dozens of smaller community groups for more than 30 years. The foundation was also responsible for the upkeep of two historic Black burial grounds, East End Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery.
Mitchell said Richmond's Evergreen Cemetery is much more than a place of rich historical significance.
The longtime volunteer organizes group cleanups for the cemetery as it's also the place his family and prominent leaders of the Richmond Planet, one of America's oldest Black newspapers, are laid to rest.
Saturday's event had more than 20 people from the community working to clean up the historic graveyard.
Mitchell's said his connection to the area and dedication to making it better is part of the reason the Richmond native said he joined the Enrichmond's board even after many of its members had resigned.
"I didn't want the place to go into probate," Mitchell said. "People were coming out here weekly. And we wanted, I wanted that to continue."
When the foundation dissolved in June of 2022, many wondered when they would receive the money they raised and what would happen to the cemeteries.
"I’m a member of a partner group, too. So we wanted our money, just like everybody else," he said.
Mitchell said that when he was made aware of the board's potential collapse, he stayed on not wanting the cemetery to lock its gates indefinitely.
"When the dissolution started, and all the board members quit, before I jumped on the board, the main thing was, let's find a way that we can keep the work going," Mitchell explained.
Following its collapse, the FBI and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation into the dissolution after reviewing documents relating to their financial situation.
"The system definitely broke down, but sometimes it was from outside sources," Mitchell said. "We reached out to the attorney general last year, so I'm glad that he's involved with it."
Mitchell said he fought to keep the cemeteries gates unlocked when the organization was collapsing.
"Some members of the board and some members of even the city that will just say, 'Well, let's just lock it up to we'll figure it out,'" Mitchell recalled. "But there was probably an equal number of people that said, 'Now, that wouldn't be right. There's still descendants coming out here to come and visit their families.'"
With the investigation underway and the future ownership of the cemetery up in the air, Mitchell said he hopes to see the city take over and take care of its history in the way that it should.
"It's my hope that they'll be able to come out there," he said. "There's so much history out here and there's so much work that has been done, and keep it going no matter who does it."
A resolution to have the city take ownership of the cemeteries was proposed in February but was withdrawn after its sponsors said more details were needed on the project before moving forward. We will keep you updated on if and when the papers are reintroduced.
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