The story of Richmond's slave trail, overgrown and largely forgotten until 18 years ago, is now told through 17 historical markers unveiled Sunday during an Emancipation Celebration that drew the governor, the mayor and more than 500 people to the site of a former slave jail.
"The journey has been long and recent," Mayor Dwight C. Jones told the gathering near the site of Lumpkin's Slave Jail.
He said he hopes the nation will take note of the step forward Richmond has taken toward reconciliation.
"It's a good day to be a Richmonder, isn't it?" he said.
But it's also time for Richmonders "to put down our genteel manners" and talk about the oppression that was "just a few moments ago in our history," Jones said. "We must be comfortable in making each other uncomfortable."
Gov. Bob McDonnell, calling slavery an "evil stain" on democracy, said it was important to mark the trail at the start of the Civil War sesquicentennial so that "we remember the reason the war was fought."
He said he will sign legislation this week transferring property to the city of Richmond that Virginia Commonwealth University now uses as a parking lot. A portion of the parking lot, which is near the Lumpkin's Jail site, was believed to have been used as a burial ground for blacks.
McDonnell's announcement drew applause from the crowd, which included some protesters with signs calling VCU's use of the property a desecration. The protesters also were upset by the week's delay in Sunday's ceremony because of VCU's appearance in the NCAA Final Four.
But the interpretive markers are in place in time for Saturday's Civil War and Emancipation Day, a citywide event linking historic sites with free shuttle service and admission. The event was the culmination of a yearslong effort by the Slave Trail Commission that began after a group of Richmonders made a "history walk" in 1993.
The markers were unveiled Sunday by representatives of groups involved in the commemoration effort as the main Emancipation Celebration got under way at the Lumpkin's site, which is behind Main Street Station on East Franklin Street. After two hours of speeches, the Lumpkin's panels were unveiled.
The Slave Trail begins on the south side of the James River at Manchester Docks, a major port in the slave trade, and follows the path that thousands of Africans made in chains. It includes the Mayo Bridge, the Reconciliation Statue, the African Burial Ground and First African Baptist Church,
The markers describe the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in ships where slaves were stacked like cargo, with men allowed 23 inches of space and women just 13 inches.
The signs tell how the Lumpkin's Jail complex — once known as "The Devil's Half Acre" — became God's half acre after emancipation. Lumpkin's widow, who was his former slave, allowed the property to be used as a school for African-Americans that eventually grew to become Virginia Union University.
"This is a day of acknowledgement," said Del. Delores L. McQuinn, D-Richmond, chairwoman of the Slave Trail Commission.
She said the unveiling of the markers was a long and collaborative effort of many groups and is the first step in a goal of establishing a slave museum, a genealogy research center and a heritage district that will make Richmond an international destination.
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