Richmond's African Burial Ground subject of mayor's press conference
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Posted By: Rudolph Hickman on May 16, 2011 A few days ago, Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones held a press conference at city hall to announce three local contractors have agreed to remove asphalt and gravel from Richmond’s African Burial Ground located at 15th and Broad Streets. The site is believed to be the burial site of slaves and freed African-Americans. This site has been the focus of contentious relations and court litigation for more than 10 years as various groups have petitioned Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), current owner of the land, to stop desecrating the sacred ground which has been touted to be one of the nations oldest municipal burial grounds. VCU has been using the land as a parking lot for many years against the protests of The State NAACP and other civil liberties organizations. Just last month, the lot adjacent to the burial site, was used as the venue for a program in which The Richmond Slave Trail Commission unveiled several markers that will line the route of Richmond’s slave trail. The trail marks the path that slaves likely trod from Manchester docks at The James River port to the site of Lumpkin’s Jail (14th and Franklin Sts.). Also, last month, three people were arrested while protesting VCU’s continued use of the African Burial Ground as a parking lot. The three will be tried on May 25th at Manchester Court, 920 Hull Street, Richmond, VA 23224. A support vigil will be held outside the courthouse beginning at 9:00 AM, for all who wish to attend. Organizers ask that all supporters wear white shirts/blouses as a sign of solidarity. The three contractors who will donate their services to clear the asphalt and gravel from the burial ground are J. E. Lieseld Contractor, Inc., Dwight Snead Construction Company, and Ty’s Hauling and Paving. The cost of these services is approximately $123,000 and work will begin later this month. The gift of donated services awaits approval by Richmond’s City Council which is expected at Council’s May 23rd meeting. Additionally, efforts are underway for VCU to sell the burial ground property to the State of Virginia. The Commonwealth will then donate the land to the City of Richmond for further development and upkeep. Please see related photo gallery at http://rudolphhickmanphotography.smugmug.c... If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Rudolph Hickman
Owner, Rudolph Hickman Photography Virginia Union University class of 1974 Member Since August 2005 |
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