Why Are Black Funeral Homes Closing?

There was a time when finding a funeral home for a deceased loved one was a no-brainer. A deacon or pastor from your local?African-American church would steer you to a funeral home where a trusted relationship has been in place for years.

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You might seek recommendations from a family member or friend to help guide you through the distressing time of planning a funeral and burial. Whichever the case, having this vital information on hand gives you some semblance of peace when you are feeling lost, anguished, and saddened.

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Ebony Magazine reported 3000 black-owned funeral homes in 1953. Today, there are 1,200?or fewer in the United States.

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Dr. Hari P Close serves as the 67th National President of the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association (NFDMA), a trade organization representing over 5000 members worldwide in countries like Canada, South Africa, and Nigeria.

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There are only 32 NFDMA black members in the United States.

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"Black-owned funeral homes in the United States have been decreasing because of a failure to diversify," says Dr. Close. "For years, black communities have been shifting due to gentrification, and black funeral directors have stubbornly relied on African-Americans for income instead of seeking new clientele. For example, the clientele in my Baltimore funeral home is 28% white,” says Dr. Close.

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According to Quaker State Funeral Directors Association in Philadelphia and spokeswoman Lisa Branch Edwards, “nearly 30 black funeral homes have closed in Philadelphia over the past twenty years. There are only about 75 black funeral homes in Philadelphia and 104 black funeral directors,” says Lisa, “serving a population of 657,343 African-Americans or 43.6% of the population in Philadelphia,” according to United States Census Data.`

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Black funeral homes generally close down in Philadelphia because the children are not willing to step in to keep the business going,” says Lisa. There is no succession. Well-established funeral homes in business for decades abruptly close, leaving a need in the communities and churches they once served.”

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The disproportionate number of black funeral homes and the black population in Philadelphia is apparent. Yet, Lisa says that “most blacks utilize black establishments. Some go to other minority-owned funeral homes in their area . Very few go-to white establishments,” states Lisa. ?

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Kadijah Alderman Funeral Home is only one of a few funeral establishments serving the Muslim community in Philadelphia.

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Black-owned and operated funeral homes came about due to segregation and Jim Crow, primarily in the South. Black people could not be buried in white cemeteries, nor could white-owned funeral establishments serve black people.

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Slaves were denied the right to mourn their dead. They were forbidden to assemble for any reason. Bodies were buried without ceremony and markers.

But when a member of the master’s family died, it was the slaves who prepared the body for burial, including planning the repast.

Over time, ?there were slave rebellions, which compelled slave owners to make changes. Slaves were allowed to live together as husband and wife but still could be sold and traded.

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When Christianity was introduced to the slaves, slave owners eventually allowed slaves to hold religious services. Slave owners were shocked that their slaves were seemingly happy and jubilant when mourning their dead. ?

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For the slaves, death was welcomed because it was relief from the horrors of slavery

Throughout history, black funeral homes have been among the most respected,

and enduring business Institutions in black communities.

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A slave founded the first funeral home two years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. The A.D. Price Funeral Home in Richmond, VA, was among the first African-American business establishments in the United States.

Early black funeral services were rooted in Ancient Egyptian culture. Egyptians are Africans. Egypt sits on the African continent. Historians credit Egypt with the discovery of embalming and preparing the deceased for burial.

Using cloths, spices, and special techniques preserved the body.

The practice of protecting the dead and placing them in a container for funerals and burial is an Ancient Egyptian art form commonly practiced today around the world.

Black churches began forming Burial Societies around 1900. They sought contributions from church members to pay for coffins and graves, which is what pre-planning funerals are today. The National Negro Funeral Directors Association, now called the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association (NFDMA), was established in 1904, making the NFDMA the oldest such organization in the United States.

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The heritage and belief of returning to Africa or going to heaven after death has endured for hundreds of years through slavery, emancipation, and reconstruction. The celebratory passionate spirituals, singing, elegantly dressed people, fancy coffins, floral arrangements, and chauffeured limousines are hallmarks that black funeral homes have adhered to for generations.

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Whether poor or rich, black funerals traditionally make everyone equal in death.

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Hispanic funeral homes have similar traditions. The pageantry of black funerals is found in the vibrant cultures of ?Hispanics, with rituals dating far back for generations. The family bond among Hispanics is robust and has special significance when mourning the dead.

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For Hispanics, celebrating and honoring their loved ones forms a strong bond between the living and the dead. The visitation generally starts later in the day. The ritual can last longer than four hours, sometimes overnight. Food and coffee are often provided. Flowers and candles are distinctive and significant during the visitation, which can take place in the home in contrast to traditional black funerals.

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There are only four Hispanic funeral homes in Philadelphia. Nationally and locally, the numbers are ever-changing as established funeral businesses are converting to accommodate the growing population of Hispanics in metropolitan areas such as Philly. These accommodating funeral homes are now hiring Spanish-speaking employees to overcome cultural barriers. ?

Contrary to the national trend of black funeral homes closing their shutters, Helen G ?Wait, a black funeral home-owner, says that in Philly, "the burial business is improving for existing black funeral homes thanks to Covid 19 and gun deaths.

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“For decades, black funeral homes have benefited from the excessive, epidemic violence in black communities in Philadelphia. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????In 2020, for example, there were more than 2,200 shootings and homicides in the dangerous streets of Philly, more than double the total number of shootings in 2015. The summer is not over, but already in 2021, there have been 300 homicides in the city of brotherly love. The majority of gunshot victims are black.

These timely deaths should translate into mega business for black funeral homes.

?Not necessarily so.

?“Cremations cut into the bottom line of black funeral homes struggling to pay the light bill,” says Helen. “I prefer that grieving families stick to tradition when making decisions about last rites. That is because traditional last rites give families an opportunity for closure, given that they can view and spend time with the body. For families strapped for cash, I understand their decision to go with cremation over tradition, but they will get the same top service regardless," reflects Helen.

?"It is tough to bury a child,” mourns Helen. "I feel like I am burying one of my children. The grief of the parents is traumatizing. I am frequently moved to tears,” she says. ???

?“Some young families are opting in for cremation and are either doing simple memorial services or no services at all,” says Lisa Branch Edwards, also a funeral director in Philadelphia. “The reasons vary. Sometimes cremations are done to save money, or either the family is non-religious. Then some people see funerals as being too morbid. However, I have serviced many affluent people who have cremated their loved ones. So, it is not always about money,” says Lisa. ?

?Lisa currently serves as the Chairwoman of the Quaker State Funeral Directors Association. Her family has a history of burying people going back 94 years, making them one of the oldest funeral homes in Philadelphia.

?The Quaker State Funeral Directors Association represents over fifty black funeral homes owners and approximately forty limousine chauffeurs and other support staff.

?While working on a master’s degree in urban studies, Lisa’s grandfather became ill, so she stepped in to help her mother out, thinking that the transition would be temporary. The transition stuck. Lisa attended the American Academy McAllister Institute and graduated in 1993. She clocks in at 26 years in the funeral business. Her mother, 75 years old, ?is still actively working in the family business. “I have no regrets,” says Lisa. “I love what I do.”

?“Helen G Waite has been in the funeral and burial business since her brother-in-law opened the doors in 1956. He was succeeded by her husband, who died in 1998. Since that time, she has owned and operated the business. She cautions me that "black operated does not mean black-owned," given that large conglomerates have been known to buy out black funeral homes but keep a black staff to give the appearance of black-owned.

?Helen says she serves all nationalities, including Sheiks, who adhere to traditional Buddhist rituals. "I admire and respect them because they do not stray from tradition, unlike some other nationalities we accommodate.”?

?Helen says that more women are choosing to work in the funeral business “I’m seeing women without previous family ties to the funeral business going to mortuary school. These women are young, smart, and savvy. They know the funeral business inside and out. I have personally trained women entering the funeral institution for the first time,” says Helen. ??

?Aimee Norman is one of the women that Helen Wait trained in Philadelphia. ?Aimee, 31 years old, and a native of South Jersey, is a newcomer to the funeral business. No one in her family has previously worked in the death industry.

?“I graduated from Ashford University in 2014 with a degree in Health Care Administration, but I couldn't find work,” says Aimee. “I announced to my mother that I wanted to study mortuary science, which fitted in very well with my disposition to be helpful to people. My mother, who is a nurse, encouraged me,” says Aimee.

?Aimee then attended Mercer Community College in North Jersey, graduating in 2017 with a degree in funeral services. She moved to Ohio this past December and began working at Sunset Funeral Home in North Olmsted, Ohio, in January 2021.

?“I am surprised,” says Aimee, that many black people are not pre-planning their last rights. A lot of what I do now is sitting with families helping them to understand the value of pre-planning their funerals. Pre-planning offers the opportunity to do payment plans. You do not have to be rich to do this. The advantage is that you can lock in a price for final arrangements at today's rate, and that price doesn't change over the years as you make payments,” says Aimee. ?

?The pandemic is hitting ?African-Americans disproportionately hard. As of July 2021, black Americans account for more than 20% of the 607,442 deaths due to Covid 19, with Hispanics accounting for more than 18%. ?Asians and Native Americans are hit less hard at about a 2% rate.

?Although African-Americans and Hispanics are the most persistent and the most glaring victims of Covid 19 in the country, they are also the least likely to get vaccinated.?

Just like the epidemic of gun violence in black communities, early in the pandemic, black funeral homes were besieged by Covid 19 deaths.?

“Early on in the Pandemic,” says Helen, "families were not able to be with loved ones when they died. Providing empathy and compassion to these families as we discussed burial options was personally very painful for me. Keeping my composure to accommodate them was extremely difficult,” says Helen. “I never turn away needy families. We find creative ways to serve them." ?

?Aimee reflects that “in a lot of cases when families elect to have a traditional service, we have to double up on our protective gear for fear that we might get infected with the virus. Many families grudgingly decide to go with just a graveside burial, which does little to bring them closure,” says Aimee.

Black funeral home directors have a unique, comforting way of calming frazzled nerves and helping to bring focus on the painful decisions that must be decided.

African-American funeral homes are a staple of black communities in Philadelphia and in black churches around the country. Traditional Christian funeral services and burials are a proud heritage worth preserving and protecting for our children and grandchildren.

Black funeral directors work diligently and tirelessly every day to keep African-American traditions of mourning thriving. Their compassion and empathy in planning funerals and burials is a special calling only they can fulfill. For black funeral directors, their mission to comfort and console is a ministry. ?

The Quaker State Funeral Directors Association addresses the depleting numbers of black funeral homes and directors in Philadelphia by helping with education and training to attract more women to study mortuary science and open their own funeral homes.

If you do not belong to a church or you want information on pre-planning a funeral and burial for yourself or a family member, contact Lisa Branch Edwards at 215 4291387 24/7 or Helen G Wait at 215 473 6787 24/7.

To get a Covid 19 vaccine shot, contact the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium on their website at https://blackdoctorsconsortium.com/ or call 484 270 6200.??