12/22/2025
This event is brought Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute.
At an average of $9,000 funeral costs and laws that restrict legal responsibility for the dead to intimate kin alone, the numbers of those who can’t afford a proper burial and funeral and those who go unclaimed upon death are on the rise in the United States.
What, if any, right do the dead have for a “dignified” ending?
Matthew Mazzuchelli is a licensed funeral director and Decedent Affairs Coordinator for South Shore Health in Massachusetts. Mazzuchelli founded The Black Tie Coalition, a non-profit that works with state legislatures and local funeral companies to advocate for affordable deathcare and dignity for all.
Followed by a Q&A moderated by Dr. Anne Allison, Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Duke University.
Public talk: November 10, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Durham County Main Library Auditorium
Free and open to the public
