Hidden Voices LLC

09/29/2026

500 years ago, today (September 29, 1526)...WOW 😲! https://youtube.com/shorts/VSkhigyiPbM

Before 1619, Africans were brought to present-day South Carolina in 1526 by Spanish explorer Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón as part of the San Miguel de Gualdape colony, likely near Winyah Bay.

The colony quickly collapsed after disease, conflict, and a revolt by enslaved Africans, who fled and sought refuge among Native communities.This powerful history reveals that African resistance in North America began far earlier than many people realize. From the 1526 revolt in South Carolina to the arrival of Africans in Virginia in 1619 and the growth of slavery in Charles Town after 1670, the story of slavery in America is deeper, older, and more complex than often taught.Remember the history.

Remember the resistance.

#1526 #1619

09/25/2026

Hidden History

Before Rodeo Drive became synonymous with luxury, designer boutiques and celebrity shopping, the land had a very different story—and an Afro-Latina woman was at the center of it.

Her name was María Rita Valdez de Villa.

In 1838, during California's Mexican era, María Rita received the land grant for Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas, a sprawling ranch of roughly 4,500 acres covering much of what would later become Beverly Hills. She and her family raised cattle and horses on the property, and her adobe home stood near what is now Sunset Boulevard.

The name Rodeo de las Aguas—often translated as “Gathering of the Waters”—referred to the area's abundant natural water sources. María Rita eventually sold the rancho in 1854, decades before Beverly Hills was developed. But the old “Rodeo” name survived.

Today, we know it through one of the most famous streets in America: Rodeo Drive.

And María Rita's connection to early California runs even deeper. She descended from Luis Quintero and María Petra Rubio, members of one of the original families that helped establish Los Angeles in 1781. African ancestry was present among many of those original Los Angeles settlers—a part of California history that is rarely emphasized.

To be precise, Rodeo Drive was not named specifically in María Rita's honor. Its name derives from the historic rancho and the area associated with it. But that makes the history no less remarkable.

Long before Beverly Hills represented extraordinary wealth and exclusivity, an Afro-Latina woman held title to thousands of acres of that land.

Remember her name: María Rita Valdez de Villa.

09/24/2026

Celebrating 10 Years of Preserving Our Story!

On September 24, 2016, the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture opened its doors—creating a national home where the stories, struggles, achievements, faith, families, and resilience of African Americans could be preserved and shared.

Today, on its 10th anniversary, we celebrate more than a museum. We celebrate the importance of protecting the places, names, documents, and stories that make history real.

For DMCC, that mission resonates deeply. At Macedonia Cemetery Johns Creek , we are working to recover names, reconnect descendants, preserve sacred ground, and ensure that a community once in danger of being forgotten becomes part of the historical record.

From a national museum in Washington, D.C., to a historic cemetery in Johns Creek—every preserved story strengthens the American story.

Congratulations on 10 remarkable years! May the next decade uncover even more voices waiting to be heard.

https://www.descendantsofmacedonia.org/

09/22/2026

Congratulations to the "One Square Mile Project" and its community partners for the work being done to preserve and restore College View Memorial Cemetery.

Your efforts strongly connect with the mission of DMCC at Macedonia Cemetery in Johns Creek, Georgia. Like College View, Macedonia represents more than a burial ground—it is a place where African American history, family, community, and the stories of our ancestors remain rooted in the land.

From College View to Macedonia, our work carries the same message:

Preserve the ground. Restore the names. Tell the stories. Honor the ancestors.

Congratulations on keeping history alive! 👏🏾

— Descendants of Macedonia Church and Cemetery of Johns Creek, Georgia (DMCC)

09/22/2026

ANOTHER CEMETERY. ANOTHER COMMUNITY. THE SAME RESPONSIBILITY.

The restoration of historic Thomasville Cemetery in South DeKalb should matter to all of us working to preserve African American burial grounds across Georgia.
More than 400 people rest there, with roots reaching back to slavery and the generations that built Black communities after emancipation. After years of neglect, community partners stepped forward to reclaim the cemetery as a place of history, dignity and remembrance.

The parallels to Macedonia Cemetery in Johns Creek are difficult to miss.

At Macedonia, DMCC(https://www.descendantsofmacedonia.org/) is also working to identify unmarked burials, restore names, reconnect descendants and ensure that an African American community that helped shape this area remains part of the historical landscape.

These cemeteries are not forgotten spaces. They are historical landmarks waiting to be fully recognized.

Thomasville demonstrates what can happen when descendants, community organizations, historians and local partners come together around sacred ground.

For Johns Creek, Macedonia represents that same opportunity: preserve the land, recover the names, tell the story—and make this history part of the community's future.

Development tells us where a community is going.
Its cemeteries remind us who helped bring it here.

The cemetery dates back to the 1870s.

09/17/2026

MEET THE DMCC BOARD

I’m incredibly thankful to serve alongside Kirk Canaday and Dometa Ouisley, a descendant of Macedonia.

Each brings invaluable expertise, experience, and commitment to this important work. I can truly say—I could not do this without them.

“Leadership is stronger when we bring our gifts together for a shared purpose.”

Together, we are preserving the past, reconnecting descendants, and building Macedonia’s future.

https://www.descendantsofmacedonia.org/
Grateful for the team. Honored by the mission.

Madyun Shahid
Kirk Canaday

09/16/2026

American History

09/16/2026

WHAT IF YOUR FAMILY’S AMERICAN STORY IS STILL WAITING TO BE FOUND?

My journey to Macedonia Cemetery began in 2001 through communication with the great-great-great-great granddaughter of George Waters—the man who enslaved my ancestors.

That connection led me to Waters’ last Will and one of the most unusual chapters in Georgia history: dozens of enslaved people were caught in a legal struggle over freedom, inheritance and removal from Georgia, while my ancestor April Waters remained here. He survived slavery, registered to vote during Reconstruction, and today rests at Macedonia Cemetery.

Macedonia connects the history of Gwinnett County, historic Warsaw, Milton County and present-day Johns Creek to the African American families who helped build these communities. Modern research has now identified 177 additional probable burials at this sacred site.

Our mission is simple: research it, document it, preserve it and tell it.

And we need a helping hand—not a handout.

Your donation helps descendants preserve burial grounds, document ancestors, reconnect families and work alongside communities and local governments as Georgia strengthens cemetery protections through Senate Bill 146. The legislation expands protections and requirements surrounding cemeteries and burial grounds.

Preserving Macedonia helps preserve Georgia’s history—and helps ensure these sacred places are protected for generations to come.

Help us preserve the ground. Recover the names. Tell the story.

The Macedonia Church and Cemetery is more than just a plot a land. ...

09/13/2026

In 1996, a community spoke up to save Macedonia Cemetery. Nearly 30 years later, the responsibility is ours-the living descendants of those buried at Macedonia.

This is more than two acres. It is sacred ground—holding the names, stories, faith, and legacy of generations who helped shape this community.

Time matters. We cannot preserve tomorrow what we allow to disappear today.

Help DMCC preserve the cemetery, reconnect descendants, restore lost stories, and protect this legacy for generations.

Learn more: https://www.descendantsofmacedonia.org/

Donate to ensure the vision continues 30 years from now: https://www.descendantsofmacedonia.org/donate

They did their part. Now it’s our turn. Be part of what’s next.