Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Richmond city leaders on Tuesday announced a new project dedicated to telling the whole story of the Richmond Slave Trade and its significance.
The “Shockoe Project” will include the Shockoe Institute at Main Street Station, the Mary Lumpkin event lawn, memorials to the African burial ground, the National Slavery Museum, and more.
The 10-acre site in Shockoe Valley will look back at the history of enslaved people and the effects it has had on the city and on the country’s growth, according to city officials.
“The celebration of Black History is the celebration of American History,” Mayor Levar Stoney said Tuesday. “The Shockoe Project acknowledges and celebrates a national site of conscience, and today, we celebrate the collaboration, teamwork, and effort of every single stakeholder who has been committed to this work over the years.”
“We’re choosing to uplift Richmond’s full history and use its unique position to tell a national, and even global, story of how slavery was integrally connected to the complex evolution of this country’s history, economy, and culture,” Stoney said.
Nearly $50 million is being invested into the development. In December 2022, the city was awarded $11 million from the Mellon Foundation to build a new interpretive center for The Shockoe Project. Another $25 million is coming from the city of Richmond’s budget, and $13 million is going towards the project from the state.
“Over time, our goal is to ensure that we can have the complete campus built out by 2037, which is the celebration of the Richmond 300-year celebration,” Stoney said.
