Publicly Endorse the Memorial Park in Shockoe Bottom

Shockoe Bottom is the site of both Richmond’s oldest burial ground for free and enslaved black people and Richmond's antebellum slave market, where 350,000 women, men, and children were sold into slavery between 1830 and 1865. Today, the National Trust joins with Richmond’s African American community, Preservation Virginia, Sacred Ground Project, and their allies to propose creating a Memorial Park on the site that commemorates its difficult history, educates Americans about slavery, and contributes in a significant and equitable way to the City’s economy.

Right now, the City of Richmond is creating a land-use plan for the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood that will guide its future growth. So far, however, the City has failed to incorporate the Memorial Park into Shockoe’s land-use plan. And if the proposed park isn’t in the City’s plan, then the park may never be built—and this important history will be truly erased.

Ask Richmond Mayor Stoney to publicly endorse the Memorial Park and demonstrate that Shockoe Bottom is sacred ground worthy of protection.

Please personalize your message and share why Shockoe Bottom matters to you.

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I am joining the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Richmond’s African American community, Preservation Virginia, Sacred Ground Project, and their allies in asking you to endorse the Memorial Park in Richmond’s historic Shockoe Bottom neighborhood, the site of the country’s second-largest antebellum slave market and of the city’s oldest burial ground for free and enslaved black people.

Not only is preserving this authentic site crucial for racial justice and healing, but its reinvention as a Memorial Park will have positive effects on the City’s communities and economy:

* Commemorate the historic place and human lives. Creating an expansive new public park will protect Shockoe’s archaeological remains and provide a venue for reflection and public discourse about the nation’s difficult history and modern-day legacies of enslavement. If we trust the community’s vision, Shockoe Bottom can be a Site of Conscience of international significance on par with Senegal’s Maison des Esclaves on Goree Island.

* Educate the public about Shockoe’s cultural heritage. Between 1830 and 1865, more than 350,000 men, women, and children were bought and sold in Shockoe. As the former capital of the confederacy, Richmond has a special obligation and opportunity to lead the United States in telling the full story of our national experience.

* Promote equitable economic growth in Shockoe. A recent quantitative study, conducted by VCU’s Center for Urban & Regional Analysis, reveals that constructing a Memorial Park and museum, estimated at $46.7 million, would represent significant economic benefits. Memorial Park visitor spending, annually, would generate between $3.7 and $7.7 million and support 43 to 85 jobs, depending on the mix of in-town and out-of-town visitors.

The City of Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia have a choice to make for Shockoe’s future. Your public endorsement of the community’s positive vision for an expansive Memorial Park will help save Shockoe Bottom and protect sacred ground.

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