From an email from Hope in the Cities, the group which spawned Norfolk’s own Norfolk United Facing Race:
Ambassadors from West Africa and an official delegation from Liverpool, UK will attend the unveiling of a Reconciliation Statue near Richmond’s former slave market on March 30. This is the result of nearly 10 years of work between Richmond, Liverpool, and Republic of Benin. In the half century before the Civil War, up to 300,000 Africans were “sold down the river” to plantations in the Deep South and even the Caribbean. In recent years, hundreds of Richmonders have walked the historic Slave Trail as part of a sustained effort to heal the wounds of the past and build relationships for a new future.
[…]
The Richmond Times-Dispatch headlined its Sunday March 25 edition, ‘Slavery statue symbolizes forgiveness.’ The story noted that Richmond’s journey towards racial healing began in 1993 with the Healing the Heart of America conference and the first “walk through history,” which was developed by Hope in the Cities and its partner Richmond Hill. The sites identified by this act of acknowledgment led to the creation of the Slave Trail Commission.
Last week the newspaper reported a surprising apology when a white Richmonder stood before City Council and apologized for his family whose ancestors owned 301 slaves. Moved to tears, Council Vice President Delores McQuinn said his action showed the true meaning of reconciliation.
As I mentioned before, I’ve walked that trail. If you’re in Richmond tomorrow, head on down to Shockoe Slip and watch the unveiling of the statute.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 