UnRested
Echoes
from the
Grave
A new docu-series. Unveiling the Untold Stories of Tampa Bay’s ELEVEN (11) Lost Black Cemeteries
Led by award-winning journalist Paul Guzzo
UnRested is a gripping 4-part docuseries that shines a light on Tampa Bay’s erased and destroyed Black cemeteries—uncovering a systemic pattern of racial injustice that echoes across the American landscape. This series unravels a web of hidden graves and forgotten legacies, exposing the dark truths of racial cover-ups and community destruction while honoring the resilience of those who fought to preserve their stories.
& award-winning directors and producers,
Pete Guzzo & Vince McDaniels.
Logline:
"UnRested: Echoes from the Grave" unveils the hidden stories of 11 lost Black burial grounds in Tampa Bay, following journalist Paul Guzzo as he exposes systemic erasure and explores the lasting impact of racial injustice on the American narrative.
The series explores four interwoven themes through the lens of Tampa’s 11 lost cemeteries:
Systematic Erasure: How policies, greed, and prejudice buried history.
Forgotten Legacies: The lives and stories of those lost to time.
Community Impact: The enduring scars of racial cover-ups on Black families.
Patterns of Injustice: Connecting Tampa’s story to a larger American pattern of racial oppression.
Episode Summaries
The docuseries will explore four themes of the 11 lost, erased and destroyed Black cemeteries found throughout the Tampa Bay area.
How it started
In 2018, Ray Reed, the retired head of Hillsborough County’s indigent healthcare system, reached out to the Tampa Bay Times with an intriguing claim – he was regularly visited by a nearby indigent cemetery’s ghosts who pestered him to bring them dignity in death.
How it happened
Following the Civil War, freed enslaved men and women founded their own communities outside the Tampa Bay area’s city’s limits. Each community had a school, church and cemetery. But, as the cities’ populations grew, the boundaries expanded and used questionable but legal devices to take the land
What next
Most of those who own the cemeteries did not know they were purchasing land with erased graves of pioneering Black residents. Now, the cities, counties and the state must wrestle with how to make these property owners financially whole – some have lost millions of dollars
The people of the cemeteries
When the cemeteries were erased, so were the stories of their founders and those buried in each. Those include one freed enslaved man who rose to become a state senator who helped found Florida’s modern education system and another who created the largest
Style and Voice:
UnRested combines the depth of investigative journalism with the artistry of immersive storytelling. Using a non-linear narrative, the series masterfully weaves Tampa’s buried histories with similar injustices across the U.S., creating a visually haunting yet deeply empathetic experience. Through archival footage, poignant interviews, and modern-day visuals, the series captures the visceral reality of systemic racism while amplifying voices of resilience and hope.
This is more than a story—it’s an unflinching journey into America’s buried past, told with the urgency and heart it demands.
Exposing Tampa Bay’s lost, erased and destroyed Black cemeteries and the systematic erasure of Black histories, unraveling a web of hidden graves and forgotten legacies that reveal the city’s dark history of racial injustice—while connecting these stories to a larger American pattern of racial cover-ups and community destruction.
The Story
Research
Hidden beneath Tampa’s streets and buildings lie the erased histories of Black cemeteries—until journalist Paul Guzzo exposed the truth. His groundbreaking investigations led to a new law protecting these sacred sites, ensuring their stories are never forgotten.
The Team
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Paul Guzzo
Paul Guzzo is a fearless journalist whose career has woven an intricate tapestry of Tampa Bay life since 1999. With a sharp pen and a keen eye, Paul doesn’t just report the news—he unearths stories that pulse at the heart of a community, stories that linger long after the last word has been written.
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Vincent E. McDaniel
Vincent E. McDaniel (aka Vin.E.Mc) is a multifaceted talent from Dallas, Texas, making waves as an actor, writer, and producer. His career launched in 2004 when Gabriel Zavala of Telemundo Nuevo Mexico backed his ground-breaking bilingual TV show, Mega Mundo, a hit in the Southwest for three seasons.
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Pete Guzzo
Pete Guzzo – Executive Producer | Creative Strategist | Indie Filmmaker
With 23 years of experience spanning advertising, marketing, broadcast, streaming, and feature films, Pete brings a unique fusion of creative vision and business strategy to every project.
