The Friends of East End is an all-volunteer nonprofit established in 2017. We grew out of a cleanup effort that began in 2013 at East End Cemetery, a historic African American burial ground in Henrico County, Virginia. The sixteen-acre cemetery, founded in 1897, had been overwhelmed by dense overgrowth and illegal dumping.

With the help of thousands of other volunteers, we have worked steadily for years to clear the vegetation, remove the trash, and recover more than 3,300 hidden grave markers. In tandem with this hands-on restoration, we’ve conducted extensive research to reclaim the history of the cemetery and the community it served (see links to resources below). We also collaborate with other groups working to reclaim historic Black cemeteries in Richmond and beyond.

In partnership with the city of Richmond, cemetery descendants, and the broader community, we seek to transform East End and neighboring Evergreen into public sites of memory, contemplation, and beauty that honor Richmond’s African American past and present.