Fort Bend vote offers hope for deal with district on remains
RICHMOND — Applause rang through the courthouse Tuesday as Fort Bend commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the county attorney to negotiate an agreement with the Fort Bend Independent School District that could lead to a memorial and cemetery honoring 95 African-American remains.
“I believe these people were not served justice,” said County Judge KP George, who was elected in November. “As a civilized society, I believe we have an obligation to serve some kind of justice to these people. We don’t even know them, but they were here. They were the citizens of Fort Bend County.”
After commissioners came out of the closed session, Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken DeMerchant moved for commissioners to vote on the negotia-
tion of the agreement, noting the possible deal could allow the county to construct and maintain a memorial park and cemetery at the school district construction site where the remains were discovered last year.
George said he was looking forward to what kind of agreement they could hammer out with the school district concerning the remains, but acknowledged it was too early to tell .
“We shouldn’t be having a discussion like this to begin with,” said George. “This should’ve been taken care of a long time ago. To me, I’m glad we came this far.”
In a statement from Jason Burdine, FBISD board president, said the district “applauded” the action taken by commissioner’s court.
“We are optimistic that an agreement will lead to the preservation of the historic cemetery, while allowing Fort Bend ISD to provide our students with opportunities for career exploration and development at the James Reese Career and Technical Center,” Burdine stated.
The district announced last April the discovery of human remains at the site of the school district's James Reese Career and Technical Center in Sugar land. The 95 remains are believed to be former prisoners who were part of the convict-leasing system, through which inmates were contracted out to perform cheap labor across the state.
The unanimous vote on Tuesday also comes as elected officials in the county sent a letter last week urging school board officials to keep the human remains at the site and halt construction. DeMerchant organized the meeting among elected officials, including District Attorney Brian Middleton and George, which ultimately led to the letter being sent to school officials.
The school district filed a petition in November to move the remains to the nearby Old Imperial Farm Cemetery. State District Judge James H. Shoemake appointed attorney Michael W. Elliott to work with interested parties to find a solution, but the school district filed an objection to his appointment.
The district has since asked an appeals court for permission to move the remains and remove Elliott from the case.
During a meeting last week, members of the Fort Bend Historical Commission also voted unanimously to request permission from commissioner’s court to intervene in the lawsuit the school district filed concerning the human remains.
During public comment before the historical commission meeting held on Feb. 6, several community members spoke on behalf of the human remains and discussed their historical significance. “When we talk about the future and you talk about covering up this site with a building, you ignore the importance of this discovery,” said Samuel Collins, a community activist and Galveston County Historical Commissioner, who has actively spoken out about keeping the remains at the construction site. “This discovery is of national significance.”
Liz Peterson, a member of the Convict Leasing and Labor Project, an organization that has advocated for the recognition of the 95 remains, delivered signatures of more than 200 historians who have acknowledged the historical significance of the discovery.
“It is certainly possible to protect this historic treasure,” said Peterson. “It may cost money, but that is not an insurmountable obstacle in a generous and prosperous community like Sugar Land and Fort Bend County.”
Michelle Morris, an attorney for the school district, said she wanted others to know that Fort Bend ISD did not have prior knowledge about remains being at the construction site. She said she was going to leave title records related to the property at the meeting, noting in the records there’s “not one mention of a cemetery.”
“I know there are some difficult decisions to be made, but it needs to be made with the correct information that Fort Bend Independent School District has been trying to be part of the solution. Maybe, not everybody agrees,” said Morris. “It did not create this problem. It did not ignore this problem. It did not cover up this problem.”
The technical center where the remains were discovered is scheduled to open this fall. The school district has said that it would cost an additional $18 million to change course on the project, and they've already spent nearly $5 million since the discovery.
As the commissioner’s court meeting came to a close, Reginald Moore, a community activist who has spent years calling attention to the convict-leasing system in Fort Bend County, said he was grateful for the vote which was cheered by several audience members.
“I never thought this day would come,” said Moore. “I think it’s a major step forward in the right direction for a long lasting legacy that’s well overdue for them.”