News Article - 3 minute read

Submitted By Brother Leroy Ross

Leesburg, VA - On October 24, 2021, the Brothers of Sigma Mu Mu Chapter, Third District of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., supported the seventh annual Belmont Wreath-Laying Ceremony. This historically significant ceremony is performed in remembrance of the 100 African Americans who were enslaved at the former Coton and Belmont Plantation by cousins of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. They were buried in a cemetery off the eastbound side of Harry Byrd Highway known as the African American Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont. The event started at the Lansdowne Town Center and included a walk to the burial grounds. During her remarks, NAACP Loudoun County Chapter President and Loudoun Freedom Center founder, Pastor Michelle Thomas, urged guests to perform acts of service in lieu of providing flowers at the cemetery. Accordingly, the Sigma Mu Mu Brothers provided transportation service for participants from the burial grounds to the event starting point.