Passed down through the generations in the African American community, funeral Service is a network of families forged by blood and bond. Post-Reconstruction and on into the twentieth century, these families were leaders in their communities.  They served in leadership roles in civic and social organizations and were committed to bettering their municipalities through cultural uplift. As the COVID-19 pandemic tested other systems in society, the continuity of funeral industry was impacted in some unique ways. The guiding research question is: How did funeral service professionals leverage their social/civic leadership roles to aid their communities pushing to adapt while holding firmly to their deeply rooted cultural tradition.

~James Morgan, III