There was no hesitation for Daniel Abou-Jaoude when a Florida school district turned to his company for help after learning one of its schools was built on a forgotten cemetery in Tampa, Florida, used for Black and indigent families.
Hillsborough County Public Schools officials reached out to Skanska USA, its longtime construction contractor, after discovering in 2019 the existence of Ridgewood Cemetery, a one-acre burial ground at the southern end of the King High School campus that opened in 1960 in Tampa, Abou-Jaoude, a Skanska vice president, said in a statement.
The district hired a team of geophysical technicians that found clear evidence of unmarked graves of 145 men, women and children who were buried at the site from 1931 to 1954. A total of more than 250 people were buried over 21 years at the location now designated as a state historic site by Florida’s Division of Historical Resources and Bureau of Historic Preservation.
The rediscovery of Ridgewood and several other forgotten cemeteries in greater Tampa have generated national headlines amid calls for reparations by Black leaders angered by the erasing of the segregation-era cemeteries.
Skanska, based in New York City, donated time and materials to build a marker designed to represent a dove’s wings — the symbol of the soul’s release from its body — and a 21-foot by 21-foot reflection pond surrounded by a walkway to honor those buried.
“After Skanska was made aware of the historical significance present at King High School and the strong ties to the community’s roots, we knew this was a project we had to take on,” Abou-Jaoude said. “Skanska is honored to lead the effort in donating this magnificent memorial that now honors the many lives buried at Ridgewood Cemetery.”