Senate boosts plan for Sugar Land remains
Bill enables county’s proposed cemetery for black prisoners
The Texas Senate has brought Fort Bend County a step closer to owning and operating a cemetery on the site where 95 African-American remains, believed to be those of prison laborers, were discovered.
A measure, HB 4179, which would enable the county to operate the cemetery, was approved on Tuesday unanimously by senators after earlier passage by the House. The measure now requires only Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature to become law.
The Texas Health and Safety Code limits ownership of cemeteries to counties with a population of 8,200 or fewer. Rep. Rick Miller, R-Houston, originally filed a bill to make such ownership possible in Fort Bend County, where the population is more than 780,000.
Sen. Borris Miles, D-Missouri City, who carried the bill in the Senate, said he was honored to be part of the process.
“This is purely a matter of respect and righting the wrong that was done many, many years ago,” Miles said Tuesday. “Everybody deserves a right to a proper burial and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
Fort Bend County Judge KP George said county officials will continue negotiations with Fort Bend ISD on the proper way to memorialize the remains. He declined to go into detail, but said he hoped to come to a resolution next month.
“This was a major obstacle and it’s cleared,” George said of the legislative action “I’m very excited to see that it’s going in the right direction.”
The human remains discovered in 2018 at the school district’s James Reese Career and Technical center construction site are believed to be those of prisoners in the state’s convictleasing system, through which inmates were contracted out to perform cheap labor across the state. Their discovery attracted national attention, and community members pleaded with the school district to keep the remains at the construction site.
Fort Bend ISD decided earlier this year to negotiate with the county and canceled plans to build on the portion of the construction site where the human remains were discovered.
At first, the district appeared adamant that the remains should be moved to the nearby Old Imperial Farm Cemetery, filing a court petition in November to achieve this goal. District officials said it would cost $18 million to change course on the project.
Miller said he had been following the issue as his district encompasses the area where the remains were discovered
“It became a little divisive, but now this is a way to pull all that together and do the right thing for the Sugar Land 95,” said Miller about the bill passing.
Earlier this year, the school district’s stance began to change when elected officials, including George and Miles, sent a letter to school board members asking them to halt construction and keep the remains at the site.
Some of the elected officials also appeared at a school board meeting to discuss the matter. At the school board meeting in February, U.S. Rep Al Green, D-Houston, implored board members to come to an agreement. While he voiced his plea to school board members, elected officials stood in solidarity around him
Fort Bend ISD spokeswoman Veronica Sopher said the district was grateful for the Senate vote. The school district’s technical center is still scheduled to open this fall.
“We are excited and thankful that the Legislature supports the efforts of Fort Bend ISD, Fort Bend County and the city of Sugar Land in finding a solution that memorializes the importance and the historical significance of the discovery of the Sugar Land 95,” said Sopher.
Samuel Collins, who has been vocal about keeping the remains at the construction site, said he was looking forward to seeing what type of memorial could be built to honor the 95 remains.
“I’m hoping that it will be something that individuals will come from far and wide to see and be inspired by, not just the suffering and torture of what they went through, but the acknowledgment of their contributions to the economic success of that entire area and the prosperity of that Sugar Land region,” said Collins.
Reginald Moore, who has long been outspoken about the area’s ties to the convict-leasing system, said he hopes the county, school district and the city of Sugar Land can give a formal proclamation to recognize the 95 remains once they are memorialized.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Moore about the steps forward.
The governor’s office did not respond Wednesday for a request to comment on whether he intended to sign the bill.
Sen. Miles said he was pleased to see the school district, city and county working together on the issue.
“In the state of Texas, we’re trying to come together and not rewrite history, but learn from our history and learn how to work together, “said Miles. “It’s a new day in Texas.”