Who Are We

The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) was founded in 2016 by leaders in the Social Justice Ministry of Macedonia Baptist Church to stop the desecration of Moses Cemetery.

Today, BACC includes leaders and members from dozens of local organizations as well as individuals from around the world who are disturbed by Montgomery County’s active desecration of a historic African burial ground.

BACC works to end the desecration of Moses Cemetery, educate our community about those who were buried there, build a museum and sacred space to honor our African ancestors, and demand accountability for those responsible for this criminal desecration.

BACC meets weekly every Thursday at 6:00 PM. It is free to join BACC and everyone is welcome.

Photo taken by Gail Rebhan

What is Moses Cemetery?

Moses Cemetery is a 200+ year old burial ground which was in use during two distinct periods of African history: pre and post-emancipation. It is located in Bethesda, Maryland, right outside of Washington D.C. Today, the burial ground is divided up into multiple sections.

One section, which was in use up until the 20th century, is currently buried underneath a parking lot.
Another section, which houses the remains of hundreds, possibly thousands of Africans who were trafficked from Africa to work and die on River Road, is actively being erased.

A Brief History of River Road



Starting in the 1700s, Europeans began trafficking Africans to several plantations along River Road. The four largest plantations were; the Counselman, Shoemaker, Loughborough, and Posey estates. The land around Moses was hilly and unproductive, so it was used as a burial ground for the Africans who died on River Road.

After emancipation, a community of Black people flourished for almost a century – they built homes, a school, ballfields, a church and a cemetery. In the 1860s, white slave owners began selling their land to freed Africans. By 1910, at least thirty Black families were living along River Road. These families worked in emerging industries or made a living through agricultural production. In 1937, Macedonia Baptist Church established a location on River Road and in April 1945, the church moved across the street to where it remains to this day.

By Paul Rispin of farms and estates around 1865 at River Road with 2022 Google Maps. Composite by Gail Rebhan
Cabin on Solyom Estate occupied by Botts family members, July 1895. Photo courtesy of Ralph Wooden.

What’s Been Found in Moses?

Dozens of bones, some with human DNA, funerary objects, archaeologically relevant soils, and other historically and spiritually sacred artifacts have been removed from the site. Many of these objects have been destroyed. Luckily, some were recovered by BACC in 2020.

What’s the latest?

Over the past few years, BACC has argued and won a case at the Supreme Court of Maryland and has sued 1784 Holdings for their erasure of a large section of the cemetery. These lawsuits are ongoing. 

We continue to rally every Wednesday at 4:00 PM in front of Moses to bring attention to the ongoing desecration.

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