Zion Cemetery Remembrance

Explore Zion Cemetery, an erased African American cemetery in Florida. This spoken word VR experience tells the real story of the lost souls at Zion Cemetery, destroyed during Jim Crow. It is guided by a narration of a powerful poem by Ebony Payne-English, a poet, playwright, filmmaker, and educator from Duval County, FL. The experience includes original artwork and scarce documents that allows viewers to travel through the 20th century to see and feel the impact of racism on sacred land.

Intentionally and illegally stolen from the Black community, Zion Cemetery was rediscovered in 2019 under the Robles Park Village apartment complex in Tampa, Florida. Zion Cemetery, believed to be Tampa’s first African American cemetery, was created in 1901 to serve the thriving African American community of Dobyville and Robles Pond. Ground Penetrating Radar, archaeologists, and burial records suggest 382 people are buried in Zion Cemetery.

This VR experience gives participants an opportunity to confront difficult truths about life in the Jim Crow South, understand the lasting impact of Jim Crow on today’s society, and memorialize the individuals buried at Zion Cemetery.