As the UCI Road World Championships begins today in Richmond, the National Trust for Historic Preservation joins partners Preservation Virginia and the Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality in calling for the thoughtful investigation and commemoration of Shockoe Bottom’s history. The following is a statement by Germonique Ulmer, vice president for public affairs for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“There is renewed public debate across the country about how we understand and memorialize the painful legacy of slavery, and Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom lies in the crosshairs of this important conversation. As the international cycling world’s attention focuses on this historic southern city, its leaders should take a thoughtful look at this sacred site and plan for a future that respects its significance, not just to Richmond, but to the whole world.

“The reminders of the slave trade that lie beneath Shockoe cannot be ignored. And though we agree that vacant lots and surface parking are not acceptable ways to mark its painful history, neither are a baseball stadium and a token museum at the Lumpkin’s Jail site. We urge Mayor Jones and all who care about Richmond and its place in our national story to throw out the baseball stadium proposal and instead support the community generated plan to create a memorial park on nine acres of historically significant land in Shockoe Bottom. This concept fully commemorates Shockoe’s slave history and provides space for education, reflection and healing, while ushering in a pathway for Shockoe Bottom to become a source of economic development and heritage tourism that benefits all Richmonders.

BACKGROUND ON SHOCKOE BOTTOM
Shockoe Bottom in downtown Richmond, Virginia, was once a national center of the American slave trade. Much of Shockoe Bottom has since been razed and paved over, leaving many of its archaeological resources undisturbed and unexcavated. Today this area is threatened by a stadium project, championed by the mayor of Richmond, that would destroy the archaeological remains that lie beneath and the opportunity for thorough and meaningful commemoration. The National Trust, Preservation Virginia, and their local allies believe Shockoe Bottom must be understood as a place of endurance and resistance, and should be treated as a Site of Conscience, where the public can remember past struggles for freedom and work together to address the contemporary legacies of injustice. To that end, the National Trust endorses the Sacred Ground Memorial Park concept.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places. PreservationNation.org. Visit savingplaces.org/treasures/shockoe-bottom for more information.