VIRGINIA DEFENDER U&A: Shockoe Bottom Symposium & Much More!
Phil Wilayto
Updates & Announcementss
A service of THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER newspaper - Nov. 24, 2019
IN THIS ISSUE:
Nov. 25 - East Marshall Street Well Project: Return of the Ancestral Remains
Nov. 28 - Giving Heart Community Thanksgiving Feast
Dec. 2 - 160th Anniversary of the Execution of John Brown
Dec. 4 - Shockoe Bottom Alliance Public Meeting
Dec. 7 - “TRUTH & CONCILIATION IN THE 400th YEAR: A SHOCKOE BOTTOM PUBLIC HISTORY SYMPOSIUM”
Dec. 10 - Unveiling of the Kehinde Wiley Sculpture “Rumors of War”
Dec. 11 - Virginia Crime Commission Meeting
Jan. 11 - 3rd ANNUAL VIRGINIA PRISON JUSTICE RALLY
Mon., Nov. 25 - EAST MARSHALL STREET WELL PROJECT: RETURN OF THE ANCESTRAL REMAINS - During construction in 1994 on the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, human remains from the 19th century were discovered in a sealed, abandoned well. The remains were largely of Black people, procured at a time when robbing local cemeteries was a common practice to provide cadavers for the education of the white medical students at MCV. Today VCU is working with representatives of the descendant community to ensure the remains receive “appropriate and respectful study, memorialization and reburial.” On Nov. 25, the remains that have been stored at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., will be returned to Richmond. “Please join us to acknowledge and welcome the Ancestral Remains discovered in the East Marshall Street Well.” 1 p.m. at 1201 E. Marshall St. Details at https://emsw.vcu.edu/ Note: Not all the remains were removed in 1994. Some are still buried in that well on the medical campus, located under the plaza between the Egyptian and Kontos medical buildings on E. Marshall St.
Thurs., Nov. 28 - GIVING HEART COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING FEAST - A free event for those in the Greater Richmond Metropolitan Area: Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetable, rolls, dessert, hot and cold beverages and a limited vegan/vegetarian selection. “We invite ALL to the table for food and fellowship. Browse our pages to see how you can attend, volunteer, support or donate.” 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Doors open at 9 a.m.) Free Admission. Free Parking at 3rd and Marshal St. Parking Deck. Free bus rides, courtesy of GRTC. Free Care Van service available by calling 804-782-2273. Information: https://www.thegivingheart.org/
Mon., Dec. 2 - 160th ANNIVERSARY OF THE EXECUTION OF JOHN BROWN - This militant abolitionist will forever be an inspiration to those who fight for Freedom, Justice and Equality. Before being taken to the gallows, Brown left a note in his prison cell that read, “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.” Seventeen months later, the Civil War that would finally bring an end to slavery in the United States began. Read more HERE.
Wed., Dec. 4 - SHOCKOE BOTTOM ALLIANCE PUBLIC MEETING - The commission initiated by Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney will present the Small Area Master Plan's first visual concepts. Open to the public. 6-8 pm, Richmond Public Library, 101 E. Franklin St., Richmond. www.shockoealliance.org
Sat., Dec. 7 - “TRUTH & CONCILIATION IN THE 400th YEAR: A SHOCKOE BOTTOM PUBLIC HISTORY SYMPOSIUM” - This will be the largest gathering of scholars ever to address the history of Shockoe Bottom, the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade. Co-sponsored by the Defenders’ Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project and the Library of Virginia. Our goal is to make crystal-clear the historic importance of Shockoe Bottom; its tremendous potential for education, reparations and conciliation; and the great crime that would be committed if its physical presence were lost to inappropriate development. Your presence will mean you are part of this decades-long historic struggle.
With panel discussions and cultural presentations, this all-day symposium will examine the history of Africans and people of African descent in Virginia from their earliest days to the present and the important role that Shockoe Bottom has played in that history. It will be hosted by the Library of Virginia, which will present some of the resources it has available for Virginia history research, especially African-American history and genealogy.
A centerpiece of the symposium will be presenting the community-generated proposal for a nine-acre Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park as it has evolved over the past four years, highlighting the potential economic, social and cultural benefits for the city as a whole, and particularly for today’s Black community. We are inviting Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney to attend the symposium and declare his support for this proposal.
Doors open at 8:30 am; symposium begins at 9:00 am.
Program and registration details can be found at www.dec7symposium.org
Invite your friends on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/670449450109057/
Tues., Dec. 10 - UNVEILING OF THE KEHINDE WILEY SCULPTURE “RUMORS OF WAR” - 3:30 p.m., outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond. Wiley, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, and others are expected to speak at the event, which is open to the public. The Defenders say, “Rumors of War: Welcome to Richmond! Now let’s take down the shrines to white supremacy!”
Wed, Dec. 11 - VIRGINIA CRIME COMMISSION MEETING (http://vscc.virginia.gov/) - Open to the public. Pocahontas Building (Shared Committee Room / Committee Room B), 900 E. Main St., Richmond. To be discussed: Virginia Pre-Trial Data Project, Descriptive Findings; Fingerprinting, Status Report from VSP and Crime Commission staff; Legislative Package (all studies); Outstanding/Follow-up Requests.
Sat., Jan. 11 - 3rd ANNUAL VIRGINIA PRISON JUSTICE RALLY - Hundreds of former prisoners, their family members and supporters are expected to attend the 3rd Annual Virginia Prison Justice Rally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 11, from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Bell Tower on Richmond’s Capitol Square. This event is a statewide collaboration of the many organizations that have joined together through the Virginia Prison Justice Network to create a greater voice for incarcerated individuals and their family members who remain victimized by unjust laws and policies. The rally will feature statements from Virginia prisoners, remarks by former prisoners and family members and representatives from prisoner advocacy organizations. The goals are to call attention to the many injustices that exist within prisons and the criminal justice system in the Commonwealth of Virginia and to garner support for bills to be presented to the 2020 session of the Virginia General Assembly that would correct these long-overdue inequities. The rally is sponsored by the Virginia Prison Justice Network. https://vapjn.wordpress.com)
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Read the Autumn 2019 edition of THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER HERE.
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The VIRGINIA DEFENDERS FOR FREEDOM, JUSTICE & EQUALITY is a community organization founded in 2002 to work for the survival of our communities through education and social justice actions. The all-volunteer organization publishes The Virginia Defender newspaper, sponsors the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, is a co-founder of the Virginia Prison Justice Network and coordinates the Odessa Solidarity Campaign.
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