Virginia African American Heritage Program
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| Virginia African American Heritage Program | |
|---|---|
| Name | Virginia African American Heritage Program |
| Type | State cultural heritage initiative |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia |
| Region served | Commonwealth of Virginia |
| Leader title | Director |
| Parent organization | Virginia Department of Historic Resources |
Virginia African American Heritage Program is a state-sponsored initiative that documents, preserves, and interprets African American history and cultural heritage across Virginia (U.S. state), with emphasis on historic sites, landmarks, and community memory. The program integrates historic preservation, archaeological investigation, archival stewardship, and public outreach to recognize sites associated with enslaved people, free Black communities, civil rights activism, and contributions to United States history. It collaborates with federal, municipal, academic, and nonprofit institutions to expand access to places significant to African American heritage.
History
The program was established amid statewide efforts involving the Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and advocates such as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Early milestones included surveys modeled on work by the Historic American Buildings Survey, partnerships with the Library of Virginia, and inventories similar to projects by the National Park Service and the Smithsonian Institution. Influential figures in its formation included preservationists linked to Monticello, researchers from University of Virginia, curators from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, and community leaders from formerly Black towns like Hopewell, Virginia and Lunenburg County, Virginia. Legislative context involved interactions with statutes administered by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and local ordinances in localities such as Richmond, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia, and Hampton, Virginia.
Program Overview
The program maintains a statewide inventory and a thematic framework that aligns with standards used by the National Register of Historic Places, the National Historic Landmarks program, and the Secretary of the Interior. Core activities include identification of sites associated with enslaved labor at plantations like Mount Vernon, industrial and maritime sites tied to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and urban neighborhoods such as Jackson Ward. It emphasizes documentary collections held by institutions like the Library of Virginia, the Virginia Historical Society, and university archives at Virginia Commonwealth University and College of William & Mary. The program also coordinates with federal initiatives such as the African American Civil Rights Network and regional consortia including the Black Heritage Trail efforts in cities like Petersburg, Virginia.
Sites and Landmarks
The inventory encompasses a wide range of places: archaeological sites related to enslavement at estates like Shirley Plantation, churches such as First Baptist Church (Richmond) and Ebenezer Baptist Church (Williamsburg), cemeteries including African burial grounds comparable to those documented in New York African Burial Ground projects, schools like the surviving Rosenwald schools in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and sites of labor and migration linked to communities in Southside Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. The roster includes sites connected to prominent figures like Booker T. Washington, Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, John Mercer Langston, L. Douglas Wilder, and Oliver Hill, as well as locations tied to organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during civil rights-era campaigns in Virginia. Military and veterans’ sites tied to units like the 54th Massachusetts Regiment and World War I-era service members honored at memorials mirror broader national patterns recognized by the African American Civil War Memorial.
Preservation and Interpretation Efforts
Preservation strategies draw on best practices from the National Park Service and conservation specialists at institutions such as Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Montpelier Foundation. Interpretation programs deploy exhibits, living-history demonstrations, and interpretive signage consistent with guidelines from the American Alliance of Museums and the Historic Sites and Museums Forum. Archaeological projects have been undertaken in collaboration with academic departments at James Madison University, Virginia Tech, and Old Dominion University, and with nonprofit partners like the Archaeological Conservancy. Oral history initiatives coordinate with the Library of Congress's Veterans History Project and local historical societies in counties including Henrico County, Virginia and Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Education and Community Engagement
Educational outreach targets K–12 teachers through curriculum resources aligned to standards used by the Virginia Department of Education and professional development offered in partnership with university education departments at University of Virginia and George Mason University. Community engagement includes walking tours in historic districts such as Jackson Ward and Ghent, Norfolk, commemorative events honoring figures like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., and collaborative programming with cultural institutions such as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum of Virginia. Youth initiatives link to organizations like the 4-H and Boys & Girls Clubs of America chapters in Virginia, while genealogical research support is provided through networks including the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society and local genealogical societies.
Funding and Partnerships
Funding streams combine state appropriations from the Virginia General Assembly, grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and private philanthropy from foundations such as the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Partnerships extend to federal agencies including the National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Arts, higher education institutions like University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University, and nonprofit organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic American Landscapes Survey, and local preservation groups in municipalities like Alexandria, Virginia and Charlottesville, Virginia. Collaborative grant programs also involve the Historic Preservation Fund and state tax-credit initiatives administered through the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.