Shadowlawn Cemetery

Take a walk through Elmwood Cemetery, the final resting place of notable Alabamians such as legendary Alabama football coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant Sr. and former Gov. B.B. Comer. The cemetery is home to more than 33,000 burial sites. But until 1970, when Vietnam veteran Corporal William J. Terry's body was relocated from Shadow Lawn Memorial Gardens, Elmwood was a cemetery for white people. Now, the cemetery is also the final resting place of famous black Alabamians such as jazz musician Sun Ra, The Temptations' Eddie Kendricks.Today, Elmwood is pristine like a botanical garden. Its lawn appears freshly mowed, and people still gather at the adjacent funeral home to pay their respects. But two blocks away, Shadow Lawn lies quiet. Maybe it's because its ownership declared bankruptcy 16 years ago, while Elmwood remains in business. But Shadow Lawn, a historically black cemetery where many former slaves were buried, looks like an overgrown field in comparison to its neighbor.Shadow Lawn again entered city-wide conversation during a recent city council meeting. District 6 representative Sheila Tyson bristled at a proposal for a Holocaust memorial, for which the city would clear and prepare the site at a cost of $45,500. remove an existing pavilion, stone patio and a bench and prepare the site. The expected cost is $45,500. A wooden pavilion, stone patio and a section of concrete bench would be removed.Why can the city support such a memorial, Tyson asked, but not Shadow Lawn?The council tabled the motion, and a week later a committee recommended the council approve funding for the Holocaust memorial, which it did. Shadow Lawn does not have a formal proposal before the council. But Birmingham Public Information Officer April Odom said the administration is considering a long-term solution."When Ms. Tyson was concerned about, 'Why is one memorial getting money and another one is not?', that was an echo of what African-Americans feel is a double standard when it comes to our i... (AL.com)