After more than 20 years, the Richmond city government has finally committed to memorializing Shockoe Bottom, the downtown district that once was the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade. Many outstanding questions remain the current plan, however. Here are some of ours.
WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH SHOCKOE BOTTOM?
After more than 20 years of confrontational struggle between the community and Richmond’s city government and business elite, many people are asking what’s happening with Shockoe Bottom, the long-neglected downtown district that once was the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade.
AT LONG LAST, SOME RECOGNITION FOR THE SHOCKOE HILL BURYING GROUND
Closed in 1879, the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground may have been the largest 19th century municipal cemetery for free and enslaved Black people in the U.S. Now, it’s finally getting some recognition.
The life & legacy of Emily Winfree
Jan Meck and Virginia Refo, in their book “The Life & Legacy of Emily Winfree: From Enslavement to Carnegie Hall,” depict the perseverance and survival of the owner of Winfree Cottage, a fixture of the Lumpkin’s Jail Archaeological Site about which little was publicly known until now.
Starbucks Update
An update on the Starbucks unionization campaign, which has just organized its 200th store in Cleveland, Ohio. Despite repression and retaliation, the movement continues to grow.
Richmond wins public sector bargaining!
On July 25, Richmond City became the fifth locality in Virginia to adopt a local public sector collective bargaining ordinance.
BRANCH EXHIBIT SHOWCASES ART AS SOCIAL PROTEST
If you’re one of those people who think museums have to be boring, you need to drop by the Branch Museum and check out its new exhibit, (RE)FRAMING PROTEST – design + hope, featuring 89 photographs that document the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
The Virginia Defender 