Reign Clark, cultural resources director at Goshawk Environmental Consulting Inc., points out at a digging tool and other materials discovered at a historic burial site at the James Reese Career and Technical Center construction site in Sugar Land on Monday, July 16, 2018.
Sugar Land city council members recommended Tuesday that 95 human remains discovered at a Fort Bend ISD construction site be buried at the city's Old Imperial Farm Cemetery, despite a local task force vote to keep the remains at the school building site.
The latest development in the burial controversy comes as some members of the city's task force said they felt blindsided last week when they learned the school district and the city had formed an agreement, with one of the conditions being reburial of the remains at Old Imperial Farm Cemetery.
Some task force members said they were confused as to why the school district listed Old Imperial Farm Cemetery as the reburial place within its agreement with the city, even before task force members could vote on a burial option.
The school board on Oct. 15 approved the "interlocal" agreement. It is part of a memorandum of understanding between the city and the school district, which lays out both parties responsibilities concerning handling of the human remains and the interment process. City council members voted to approve the agreement during Tuesday's meeting.
Old Imperial Farm cemetery sits near the construction site and holds bodies believed to be from the convict-leasing system, where Texas state prisoners were contracted out to perform cheap labor. The human remains found at the construction site are believed to be African-American prisoners who were part of the convict-leasing system.
"I said four weeks ago when they presented these committees that this was busy work," said task force member Swatara Olushola during last week's meeting . "Come on, these our ancestors we are talking about. This task force is a show. It is a show."
Samuel Collins III, who spoke at Tuesday's city council meeting before the vote, resigned from the cemetery task force last week after learning about the agreement.
"It appeared the task force had been formed only to rubber stamp what the city and Fort Bend ISD had already agreed to," said Collins.
The city in August established the cemetery task force. Members were split into two committees to make recommendations concerning burial location and memorializing the remains. Over the last few weeks, they have presented ideas.
The school district has cited concern over whether it can legally turn the construction site into a perpetual care cemetery, which is why they recommended the remains be reburied at Old Imperial Farm Cemetery.
Jason Burdine, Fort Bend ISD board president, reiterated that message when he spoke during the city council meeting. He also noted the historical connection between Old Imperial Farm Cemetery and the bodies buried at the construction site.
"We know that we all share the desire to treat these individuals with respect," said Burdine. "Respect comes in many forms and we understand that some of the members of the task force prefer to re-inter the bodies at the James Reese Center on the Fort Bend ISD site. However, as a public school district we are charged with educating children and the feasibility of becoming a perpetual care organization is beyond our expertise and our means."
Despite the action during the city council meeting, the school district still has to receive permission from Fort Bend district court to re-inter the bodies at Old Imperial Farm Cemetery.
Andrea Collins, a cemetery task force member and Missouri City resident, also spoke during the council meeting and urged city officials to keep the 95 bodies at the school district construction site.
"I strongly believe all of our voices should be heard and taken seriously," said Collins. "At our previous meeting, I felt like the decision had already been made. It was very disconcerting because I spent a lot of time away from my family, my job to do research and work on this task force. I really feel like it's important to respect the vote that was made last week."