Virginia

Virginia Civil Rights Memorial

27 November 2019

We spent two weeks in Virginia; we needed two months! We didn’t even attempt to see the coast or any of the Revolutionary War or Civil War sights – that will have to wait for another trip. Instead, we limited ourselves to Richmond, Charlottesville, Shenandoah National Park, and points southwest on our way to Tennessee. The weather hampered our plans as well when a massive cold front with record low temperatures descended on the east during the second week of November, so a trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway was abandoned in favor of the interstate. Nevertheless, we got a good feel for the enigma that is Virginia.

Here is a state that is the birthplace of eight US Presidents, four of the first five, including the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Yet it was the juxtaposition of that idealism against the backdrop of slavery that most intrigued us. Primed by previous visits to Gettysburg, Harper’s Ferry, and the African American History museum in Washington D.C., we were assaulted by the reality of Virginia’s immersion in the politics and economics of racism, past and present.

Robert E. Lee Memorial

Arthur Ashe Memorial

As noted in my last blog, we stayed in the driveway of the minister of the Richmond UU Church, a friend from Lew’s time serving on the UUA Board of Trustees. The primary social action focus of her church is anti-racism, which seemed totally appropriate to us given the legacy of slavery in Virginia, and the south. But it was not only here that we confronted that legacy. On Monument Avenue – a National Historic District, renowned for its residential architecture – at each intersection we encountered large statues on huge pedestals commemorating selected Confederate Civil War heroes, including Robert E. Lee, Jeb Stuart, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis. Although these monuments were erected during the reactionary Jim Crow period (late 19^th, early 20^th century), they are still a stark reminder of the vestiges of white supremacy that even a smaller monument to tennis star, Arthur Ashe, at the end of the Avenue cannot erase. 400 years of slavery, thousands of lives lost in a war to protect that institution, years of continual inhumane treatment, degradation, and exclusion of Black Americans…and, still, we glorify those people who proudly represent the foundation of a white supremacist culture. It was a heady experience. 

 Lew was most affected by the realization that the institution of slavery and the economies of both the north and the south were intimately intertwined before the civil war. Complain as they might about slavery,  many smug northerners were getting rich off the institution in the early 1800s. They may not have owned slaves themselves, but they clearly benefited from cheap raw materials for their factories. This is the legacy faced by many northerners.

Monticello

Montpelier

What we saw in Richmond, however, was only the beginning. Our next stop was Charlottesville and the homes of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Here the paradox of words vs deeds was even more pronounced and it is a credit to the National Park Service and the respective Presidential Foundations that the slavery question is no longer glossed over. Monticello, as we remembered from our first visits some 50+ years ago, is inspiring. I don’t tire of being reminded of the words of the Declaration of Independence penned by Thomas Jefferson: a beautiful and thought-provoking place. Thought provoking, not only about the meaning of those prophetic words and their relevance today, but also about Jefferson’s slave owning legacy. We took a guided tour of Jefferson’s home AND one of the slave quarters, complete with stories and descriptions of REAL people who happened to be slaves at Monticello.

Slave Quarters Montpelier

The slave experience was personalized; in one case our guide described the differing experiences of two boys on the plantation – one, white, who grew up to become the President of the United States, and the other, black, who remained a slave the rest of his life. The story of the Hemings family (including Sally Hemings and her children by Jefferson) was also an important part of the history. What was NOT a part of the history was the story of the “field slaves” who shall always remain nameless. Only those who were house slaves or skilled laborers have names and histories attached – and even that information has taken a great deal of time and research to uncover.

On a plantation a day’s horseback ride away (1 hour by car) was the home of James Madison – Montpelier. There the foundation has done an even better job of sharing the legacy of slavery that haunts Madison like it does Jefferson. It’s the great American disconnect – a country founded on the principles of liberty and equality, but built on the backs of human property! Like Jefferson, Madison was aware of this contradiction, but political expediency prevailed. One display at Montpelier does an excellent job of pointing out the sections of the Constitution that are at odds with the founding
principles. In another the lives of several slave families and their descendants are profiled. Archaeologists have uncovered a great many artifacts that have helped to piece together the lives of the enslaved people who lived at Montpelier and much of it is shared with the visitor. Again, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the genius of Madison - a genius whose ideas helped to shape this nation - and, at the same time, perplexed and saddened by the inhumanity of slavery. I’m aware that it was the nature of the times (equality didn’t seem to apply to Blacks, Native Americans, women, the poor, etc) and times have changed – or have they? The attempt to deny men, women, and children their basic humanity still resonates with us today and is the root of many of our societal problems.

1940s NP Sign

Shenandoah NP

Besides visiting a few of the nearby wineries (yes, there are wineries here, too), our next stop was Shenandoah National Park, where we managed to take a couple of hikes and enjoy what was left of the fall colors despite the unusually cold weather. But even here, the legacy of the southern attitude toward racial segregation was surprisingly apparent. When the park was transferred from Jim Crow Virginia to the federal government, Virginia attempted to ban blacks from the park, but settled for segregation. The early private facilities were for whites only and remained so when the area officially became a national park in 1937; eventually a separate (inferior) campground, lodge, and picnic area for blacks was created in 1939. Not until 1950 were the park’s facilities fully integrated. I found this astonishing.

UVA Rotunda

Before leaving the Charlottesville area, we toured what Jefferson called one of his greatest achievements – the University of Virginia – which he designed and founded with a library, not a church, at the center of the school. Yet, once again, we were invited to think about the contradictions of that time. Slavery was central to the project of designing, building, funding, and maintaining the University. White students, we learned, routinely abused the slaves who catered to their needs and no one intervened. Two centuries later (in April, 2020), UVA plans to dedicate a memorial to the enslaved laborers (estimated at perhaps 5,000) who built and sustained the University - a place to reflect, acknowledge, and honor those individuals. This is Progress.

D-Day Memorial, Flags of Allied Militaries

National D-Day Memorial

Heading southwest on the interstate, to avoid ice and closures on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we stopped near Roanoke to visit two more interesting historical sites. One was the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va (chosen because that town lost more men, per capita, during the invasion than any other). Like the monuments in D.C. honoring the victims of war, this one was sobering, reminding us once again of the sacrifice that many have made to protect the freedoms we enjoy in this country. Or that some of us have enjoyed, because the next visit was to the Booker T Washington National Historic Park.

Booker T. Washington NM

Born a slave, just prior to the start of the Civil War, and going on to become one of the most influential Black leaders of his time, his story is one of hope and perseverance. He thirsted for knowledge and once slavery was abolished, he was able to satisfy his craving and go on to educate other men and women of his race. It was a difficult journey. His story saddens me, however, because I am reminded of all the brain power lost because slaves were denied the right to read and learn. What was not invented? What ideas were never heard? What books remained unwritten? This is our Shame.

So our brief sojourn in the south has been an interesting one, giving us pause and time to reflect.  If Virginia is like other southern states, a concerted effort is being made here to acknowledge the past and recognize the injustices while still honoring the great contributions of people like Jefferson and Madison and Washington. How can we in the 21^st century undo a legacy of white privledge that has been around for more than four centuries? How can we truly live into the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?