Victory in Trial of African Burial Ground advocates!
Phil Wilayto
Dear friends,
Another victory in the long struggle to reclaim Richmond African Burial Ground!
Charges were withdrawn today against the four Burial Ground advocates who last month successfully shut down the state-owned parking lot that sits on Richmond's historic cemetery for enslaved and free Africans.
Rolandah “Cleopattrah” McMillan, 48; Donnell C. Brantley, 62; Autumn Barrett, 38; and Phil Wilayto, 62, were arrested April 12 and charged with trespassing on property owned by Virginia Commonwealth University. These four plus four other activists had taped off the entrance to the parking lot and for an hour and a half turned away cars and buses that normally park on this sacred ground. April 12 marked the 150th anniversary of the start of the U.S. Civil War. If convicted on the trespassing charge, the defendants hadfaced up to a year in jail and fines of up to $2,500.
Before today's court appearance, about 45 people joined a sidewalk protest outside Richmond's Manchester Courthouse in support of the defendants. More than 60 supporters attended the trial. The defendants were represented pro bono by Steven Benjamin, one of Virginia's leading defense attorneys.
After a nearly 20-year community struggle, the parking lot itself was closed on May 21. The land was then turned over to the City of Richmond for memorialization. In a ceremony held March 24 at the site, city and state officials symbolically removed the first section of asphalt.
After leaving the courthouse today, the defendants and supporters broke into cheers, celebrating this latest victory against VCU. Addressing the media, Mrs. Brantley read a statement in which she called for VCU to help pay for the Burial Ground's memorialization and pledged that the activists would continue to be involved in that process. A copy of the statement will be posted soon on the Defenders' Web site (www.DefendersFJE.org).
Thanks to everyone who came out to court today, who expressed their support by e-mail or on Facebook and especially all those who have struggled over the years and forced the state of Virginia to show respect for the final resting place of the enslaved Africans whose unpaid labor built this city, this state and this country.
For detailed coverage of this struggle, look for the next issue of The Virginia Defender newspaper and listen to DefendersLIVE! Mondays at noon on WRIR 97.3 FM or online at www.wrir.org.
in the Struggle for Justice,
Ana Edwards - Chair, Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project
Phil Wilayto, Editor, The Virginia Defender
