dedicated death care professionals of the world are as various as the families being served. Directors will sometimes serve families that more closely resemble themselves while serving client families that are very different in varying ways. In all times of service, directors must continually strive to seek a complete Historical segregation in funeral service Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr once referred to eleven o’clock on Sunday mornings as the most segregated hour in America. This statement rang true regarding many parts of the country and is still true in many areas today. The intention of Dr. King’s statement was about the tendency for those who attend church and other places of worship to choose to do so in segregation to their race. This description of segregation among worship has been repeated many times throughout the years. In America, those of varying skin color and ethnic ancestry often choose to worship separately from others. Research of this trend began in 1998 by The National Congregation Study and has continued. The study has found the basic social unit of American religious activity to occur through churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other places of worship (Lipka, 2014). Just as places of worship provide a support system to members in a similar way to a familial system through many significant events in life, times of death are no different. The social unit plays a vital role in supporting a grieving family at a time of loss from death. The predominant divide in race and ethnicity among many worshipers extends to the funeral service industry. Funeral service has historically been a predominantly segregated industry and continues to be in present times across America. It was common in rural communities across America to have a least two “funeral parlors” in years past. There was nearly always at least two required. One was to serve the white citizens, while the other served the black citizens in need. White owners normally operated the funeral home that served the white families, while black owners operated the funeral home that serves the black families. It has been nearly half a century since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and many families continue to choose funeral homes based upon the race of their primary family clientele served, the ownership of the firm, and the Embalming in America The history of segregation in funeral service was born of necessity and also from the ability of those who received training during the Civil War. Students of funeral service are taught that embalming was introduced to many American’s during the Civil War. However, the total number of deaths resulting from the Civil War between the states was uncertain but was uncontestably very high. It is estimated that at least 620,000 men lost their lives in service to the Union or Confederacy, with a possible total loss as high as 850,000 (“Civil War Casualties,” 2020) (battlefields. org, 2020). With the Southern climate’s heat and humidity, where many battles were fought, it was a daunting task to return fallen soldiers’ bodies to their families, especially those from the North. Many wealthy families were willing to pay to have the bodies of their loved ones preserved through embalming procedures. It is estimated that 40,000 fallen soldiers were embalmed to some extent. The embalming process was certainly not new, as it had been practiced in various forms as far back as ancient Egypt. However, in the Civil War era, embalming in a more closely related form used to the present day was being refined and introduced to the country. To accommodate the needs of soldiers’ mass fatalities, many men seized an opportunity to learn the procedures and offer their services. Such a large number began offering embalming services that the war department issued General Order 39 to ensure only correctly licensed embalmers could offer their services (Walsh, 2017). The mass number of casualties requiring embalming was so great that African Americans were allowed to train alongside whites on the battlefields in learning the arts and sciences of embalming. After the war, many black men had the skills and training as embalmers and saw an opportunity to succeed in
understanding of the families’ requests and needs. Many barriers will be presented and must be overcome. The excellence of a funeral service professional is signified by overcoming the barriers and undertaking the work required to serve the family and community to the very best of their ability. management. This trend initially began in African American communities out of necessity, fear, and unjust laws. During the era of slavery, funerals were among the first places where African Americans found some autonomy semblance. At times, they were allowed to mourn the loss of their loved ones in services conducted near their slave quarters. Many other times, the death of an enslaved person would constitute hasty disposal of the body by those forced to do so by slave owners. In these cases, the deceased’s family and friends could not gather and mourn as a group, support the family, or even mark their departed loved one’s final resting place. While gatherings to mourn the loss were sometimes allowed, there were other times that the dead of color were taken away and buried in unmarked graves without the dignity of service. With some services being seen as a potential opportunity to serve as opportunities to plan rebellions, they were forbidden or required to have a white minister present. There were even laws passed, preventing enslaved people from gathering in groups at all. South Carolina passed “The Negro Act” in 1740 that made it illegal for enslaved people to gather in groups with the right to be killed if a gathered group was viewed as being ‘rebellious’ (Cann, 2020). Similar laws were adopted in states across the south and further stripped the most basic humanistic rights from enslaved individuals and families. The grief process can be incredibly complicated when families and loved ones are prevented from a respectful and dignified service for a deceased loved one. The traditions and customs observed by families at a time of loss help to facilitate the beginning of the healing and grieving process. When these traditions and customs are prevented, grossly misunderstood, or viewed disrespectfully, it serves to deny loved ones the ability to begin their healing process healthily and naturally. the funeral industry. It was a time when white-owned funeral homes would not serve the black families who experienced death. This presented an opportunity for African Americans to establish a business when such a desire was nearly futile. Even with the opportunity to establish a much-needed business in a community, there was generally very little money for undertakers of color to begin a business. Some churches began collecting money from church members to pay for their funerals, coffins, and graves. The effort led to the establishment of Burial Societies. The first African American Burial Society was founded in 1787 in Philadelphia(Cann, 2020). The ability to freely honor their loved ones’ life and death gave way to the rise of African American funeral homes. African American Undertakers became well-respected leaders of many communities and held esteemed positions in society. As previously discussed, few modern society industries remain as clearly segregated as the funeral industry in the United States. There are various theories to this prevalence. One theory is that people tend to be creatures of habit and simply choose the funeral home they are familiar with when they have a need. Others theorize that African American families feel an African American firm best serves their cultural and traditional funeral services. Regardless of historical precedence, the responsibility and duty lie with each funeral service professional to respectfully honor all families served, entirely without regard to color, creed, or sexual orientation. African American funeral homes are not the only distinctly segregated funeral service providers in the U.S. Metropolitan areas across the country are home to various funeral homes that serve particular groups of people, sometimes due to the funeral
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Book Code: FFL1223
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