King Highschool Memorial for Ridgewood Cemetery
Nearly 150 graves belonging mostly to Black men, women, and children were rediscovered under the King High School, in Tampa, in late 2019. Records show there have been almost 270 people buried at the former Ridgewood Cemetery when the pauper’s burial ground was deeded to the School District in the late ‘50s.
JMA’s proposed a pedestal of stacked stones polished in white that holds up two wing-like pieces of aluminum covered in oxidized bronze and a design features a diamond-shaped reflecting pool sur-rounding a simple structure with a lot of deep meaning. The aluminum wings represent both the wings of a dove – a symbol of peace and the soul’s release from the earth – as well as the hands releasing the dove. They also symbolize hands held in prayer.
The pond is for students nearby and the public to visit and meditate within a once sacred space, thus creating a new sacred place to experience the very site that was discovered - this is an honor within acknowledgment. Construction will be completed in fall 2022.
