A good friend and historian, Chris Graham, just posted this nice bit of background for the laying of the cornerstone of the spanking new Richmond city hall building in 1887: about the man who gave the speech and his apologies to Whites for the burden of slavery in the wake of the crushing of an attempt at Black and White labor and political unity. I love context, it gives the chatter mill around a controversy (or a seemingly non-controversy) a little grist and grit.
Tonight, 6:30 pm at VMHC, Coming Together Virginia will host a panel,
"Richmond City Hall: The Untold Story,"
Tickets are $20. Registration: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/akgzv2y
The 1880s were a bubbling cauldron of struggles over the racial character of Richmond's society and future of Reconstruction's progress toward creating a multiracial society. Jim Crow would win that battle and hold it for the next 100 years, but every victory for the side of unity and equity contributed to the momentum to continue to fight. The story of what we call the Old City Hall was built on the debates over prison/convict labor (barrel making at the Va State Penitentiary), the making and unmaking of unions (Knights of Labor), transportation (streetcars and boycotts), the rise and fall of political parties (Workers Reform Party), and the violent overthrow of a democratically elected city government (Richmond's as a matter of fact - think Wilmington NC).
This panel event is also intended to recruit researchers to unpack more of this remarkable local history. A second gathering of interested folk will be held on March 22nd at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, 2-4 pm. Hold that date.