Project Harmony

In 1959, Columbian Harmony Cemetery, Washington DC’s most prominent burial grounds for Americans of African Descent was sold. While the remains of the 37,000 interred were relocated to the larger National Harmony Memorial Park in nearby Landover, Maryland, the headstones, monuments and grave markers dumped along the banks of the Potomac River as makeshift riprap. 

Since 2019, the HASAN team has been working directly with the descendant community and the state of Virginia to recover, research, and share the history of these gravestones, the individuals they honor, and the community they represent. Fifty-eight legible gravestones recovered from the Potomac River have been transported to National Harmony Memorial Park (also known as New Harmony) in Maryland. In 2025, an additional 100 stones were recovered from the shoreline.

Upon the signing of a drafted legal agreement between Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and National Harmony Memorial Park, all recovered stones will be thoughtfully integrated into a memorial wall and footpath.

While the History, Arts, & Science Action Network’s active role in Project Harmony concluded with the world premiere of If These Stones Could Talk: The Story of Columbian Harmony Cemetery at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., on September 7, 2025, we will continue to document the creation of the memorial and incorporate that footage into the film. We will also continue to host public screenings and lectures to share this important history with broader audiences.