Slavery Museum Vision Clouded By Commercialization

Former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder's plan to build a national slavery museum is facing issues of siting and commercialization.

1 minute read

January 20, 2002, 5:00 AM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"...alongside the resort pleasures of sylvan Virginia, Wilder wants to create a monument to the most painful, prolonged saga in American history. It will be called the National Slavery Museum at Fredericksburg. Last month, Wilder pledged that some portion of the museum will be open in 2003...The museum is a fitting legacy for Wilder, the grandson of slaves and the first elected black governor in U.S. history...Washington arguably has more historical, symbolic, and practical justifications as a site for a national slavery museum than Fredericksburg...building public monuments is fundamentally about power. That's the reason no eloquent arguments about why Washington is a better site for a national slavery museum will ever sway Wilder."

Thanks to John Provo

Read the full story: Mall and Chains

Friday, January 11, 2002 in Washington City Paper

History / Preservation Virginia

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