Letter to Julie Langan, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources - McEachin, Kaine Support Nomination of Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground to the National Register of Historic Places
Press Release
Dear Director Langan,
This letter is to express our support for the nomination of Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground
to be included in the National Register of Historic Places. Given the history and known location
of this African Burial Ground we recognize the value in preserving such a space and strongly
recommend it's inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
There is no official national record or database for African-American burial ground locations,
and the location of many sites is unknown. As a result, the family members and descendants of
those interred are unable to visit these sites to honor and remember their ancestors. That is
among the many reasons we cosponsored legislation in the 116th Congress which would have
directed the National Park Service to conduct a study of ways to identify, interpret, preserve, and
record unmarked, previously abandoned, underserved, or other burial grounds relating to the
historic African American experience. Therefore, without question, we support the African
Burying Ground's nomination before the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
In 2020, Mayor Levar Stoney, his administration, and the Richmond City Council sponsored and
passed important ordinances regarding the burial ground. The ordinances added the property at
1305 N 5th St. to the Richmond Slave Trail, provided funding for its intended acquisition, and
paved the way for the purchase of the property. Support from the City of Richmond, Preservation
Virginia, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Cultural Landscape Foundation, and a
descendant of those interred at the African Burying Ground highlights the importance of this site.
Please accept this letter of recommendation as an indication of our support for Shockoe Hill
African Burying Ground. We thank you for your consideration and support of historic sites in the
Commonwealth.
Sincerely,
Source