How Out Of Touch Is Governor Robert McDonnell?

Come to the former capital of the Confederacy this weekend to find out.  This weekend Richmond commemorates Emancipation Day with a wide range of events sponsored by the city’s history museums and other institutions.  What follows is an email that I received from the Online and Social Media Organizer at the University of Richmond.  I hope to be in Richmond this weekend.

I am sending this information to you as your readers may be interested in a Civil War commemoration coming up this Saturday. With Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s recent omission of slavery in his Confederate History Month proclamation (which he later corrected), the City of Richmond’s commemoration of the Civil War & Emancipation Day points the discussion of Civil War history in a direction of inclusivity.

As Gov. McDonnell’s proclamation struck a chord in this nation, I hope you will blog about Richmond’s initiative to move the conversation about the Civil War in a more comprehensive direction. [I trust that I’ve done just that.]

The need to tell a more accurate and inclusive story about the Civil War has led to an initiative in the City of Richmond, Va., to explore the Civil War from a more comprehensive perspective, through Civil War and Emancipation Day, a commemoration of the 150th anniversaries of the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves in America. The event will be held in downtown Richmond at The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar and Shockoe Bottom on April 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and 15 sites will offer exhibits, activities, performances, discussions, tours and other events.

As there is a clear need in Richmond, Virginia and the United States to include more information about the different perspectives of the Civil War – such as the suffering and triumph of African Americans during one of the most turbulent times in our nation’s history – The Future of Richmond’s Past has organized the commemoration to present a more truthful, comprehensive perspective of the Civil War. Slavery will be addressed in addition to Confederate history.

For more info on Richmond’s Civil War & Emancipation Day, visit the event page on Facebook: http://ow.ly/1xsmC.

Visit The Future of Richmond’s Past on Facebook: http://ow.ly/1xsic or the website at http://www.futureofrichmondspast.org.

I thank you for your time.

[Click here for more information on the post image.]

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5 comments… add one
  • John Maass Apr 21, 2010 @ 9:35

    We ought to goive credit to the governor when he deserves it as well:

    http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/91673819.html

  • Nat Turners Son Apr 15, 2010 @ 4:51

    This is the right dircection for the Civil War Sesquicentennial to go.

  • Corey Meyer Apr 14, 2010 @ 16:06

    Great picture and even better story behind it. I saw this highlighted on http://www.shorpy.com/node/7730 some time ago and thought how we never really hear about events like this. It would be nice to see black communities begin to celebrate this day more often…call more attention to it…with the 150th coming up soon, it think it would be very appropriate.

    • Kevin Levin Apr 14, 2010 @ 16:21

      I also noticed it at Shorpy. Thanks for the link which includes a wonderful high resolution image.

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