A fence separating a Black cemetery from a white one is coming down after decades as a symbol of progress in a Texas town’s sordid racial history.

The fence dividing Acie and Linney Cemeteries in Dayton, Texas was taken down in April, reports The Associated Press. Henry Buxton, a white 85-year-old maintenance worker, did the honor.

“It should have been done years ago,” said Mike George, president of the all-white Linney Cemetery.

Linney was founded in the 1850s, according to historical records. Acie, where Black residents bury their dead, was established in 1928. Previously, a historic marker was placed to honor Linney, and Acie was only mentioned in one sentence. After the fence came down, the city installed a medallion below the existing marker for both cemeteries. The Liberty County Historical Commission also erected a separate marker for Acie.

“We’re trying to make those things right,” said Liberty County Historical Commission Chair Linda Jamison.

The change was suggested after George, who began his tenure in 2017, had lunch with Acie Cemetery president Lynda Young earlier this year. The presidents took the issue to Dayton’s city council, who unanimously voted for the fence’s removal and a merger between the cemeteries.

Young cried when the fence came down and said it felt like freedom.

“We can move forward,” she told The Houston Chronicle.

Buxton was raised to not hold doors open for Black women and to not say “yes sir” to Black men. He is also named after a slave owner and has relatives buried in Linney. After he was done removing the barrier, the elderly worker was satisfied.

“I never realized how much prettier it is without that fence,” he noted.

The cemeteries will maintain their separate entrances and are working out the specifics of their merger. Pricing is on the agenda since Linney charges twice as much for burial spots. The organizers are also working on securing nonprofit status for their new association.

Whitney Stewart, an assistant history professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, hopes the fence’s demise is a sign of future progress.

“People are very willing to continue living in the same kind of segregated world,” she said. “It should be applauded that these physical barriers are finally coming down, but then how do we bring it forward to other important areas of life, whether it be housing or economic inequality?”

Black-cemeteries

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