"Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise"

-From "Still I Rise"
by Maya Angelou
Read by Mayor Kim Carter

A local priest, originally from Trinidad, performed libations for the dead, sharing prayers and pouring water, honey and rum onto the ground. There was also music, singing, prayers and speakers at the re-consecration ceremony in the Covington Cemetery Saturday morning, where more than 300 graves had been located, likely those of former slaves.