A “homegoing” celebration is a Black funeral tradition that emphasizes dignity for the deceased through specific practices and stylistic elements. This sort of observance has been a historically important event for individuals who may have experienced disrespect and discrimination in their lives due to Jim Crow and other forms of racism.

Pageantry plays an integral part in the homegoing ritual. Silk-lined caskets, ornate floral arrangements, elaborate programs, processions with limousines or horse-drawn carriages, and mourners garbed in colorful or white outfits instead of black characterize these funerals. Black benevolent societies and fraternal organizations have often helped aid poor African Americans with financial assistance through burial insurance. Homegoings originated in African tradition and folklore and still occur today.

Traditionally, a funeral director facilitates the arrangements and acts as a grief counselor for the deceased’s family. The funeral director’s spouse typically acts as the “mortician’s nurse” or “first lady,” helping those grieving during the service. Mourners are encouraged to shout, cry, and release their sorrow. Before embalming became more common, the first lady prepared the corpse by bathing and dressing it for the service.

The first licensed Black undertaker in West Virginia was James C. Campbell, who opened The House of Campbell in Charleston on November 12, 1912. Every city in the state with a sizeable Black population had one or more Black funeral homes. Other Black funeral homes and directors included the Rev. Andrew Duggan and the Ritchie & Johnson Funeral Home in Beckley, Lampkin Funeral Home in Fairmont, and Elizabeth Harden Gilmore in Charleston.

During the Jim Crow era, segregation ensured Black undertakers a guaranteed client base. White-owned casket companies tended to work solely with White undertakers, leading some Black funeral directors to build and sell caskets directly.

Cemeteries were also segregated during Jim Crow. In cities, deceased African Americans were buried either in the fringes or in the Black sections of public cemeteries; segregated spaces tended to be less well-maintained, in comparison to White sections. Some municipalities did have dedicated Black cemeteries, such as Bethel Memorial Park in Huntington, or segregated sections.

Black funeral homes were essential parts of cities with substantial Black communities in West Virginia. After integration, Black clientele increasingly turned to White-owned businesses due to lower costs and wider selections, ultimately resulting in the collapse of Black-owned businesses. Black-owned funeral homes, such as Ritchie & Johnson in Beckley, are among the few remnants of the segregated business world that survived into the 21^st century.