Lillie Finklea and Louise Massoud: Activists and Cemetery Preservationists

Lillie Finklea and Louise Massoud

This Alexandria resident helped to protect a Civil War gravesite for African American “freedmen.”  The Washington Parkway and Beltway had compromised these graves, and when plans for the new Wilson Bridge were proposed, she appealed to the residents and officials of the City.  In May 1997, Finklea, along with Louise Massoud, held a Memorial Celebration for the Freedmen’s Cemetery.  In 2007, City mitigation funds were used to preserve the Cemetery.