Discover Fredericksburg’s rich African American history through “Living Legacies: African American History in the Fredericksburg Area,” a groundbreaking exhibition at the Fredericksburg Area Museum. This exhibit is the culmination of extensive community involvement, showcasing pivotal moments, stories, and contributions that have shaped the region.

In 2020, Fredericksburg removed its historic Auction Block, a symbol of the city’s painful past, marking the beginning of a new chapter. With the leadership of Dr. Gaila Sims, the museum has introduced dynamic projects, including walking tours, lectures, and educational materials that honor African American heritage in the region. Through community curation, Dr. Sims skillfully highlights the rich tapestry of stories that still form part of the fabric of the city today.

“Living Legacies” features compelling objects, images, and narratives, ensuring that the stories of Fredericksburg’s African American community are preserved and shared for years to come.

In 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette visited the city of Fredericksburg as part of his multiyear Grand Tour of the United States. Lafayette was an extraordinary individual who made essential contributions to American history as a wealthy nobleman, revolutionary hero, military officer, enlightenment thinker, democratic supporter, and committed abolitionist. Lafayette’s World: Revolutionary Ideals and the Limits of Freedom celebrates the Marquis as an individual and the belief in freedom and democracy shared by those he fought alongside in the American Revolution.

In 2019, following three years of focused community conversations, the Fredericksburg City Council voted to relocate the Auction Block associated with the sale and hiring of enslaved people from its original location at the corner of William and Charles Streets. The Auction Block was moved to the FAM in fall 2020 and opened to the public with an accompanying temporary exhibition soon after.

In November 2022, the Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM) opened new exhibition A Monumental Weight: The Auction Block in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Recognizing the immense historical and emotional significance of this complex object, the FAM worked with members of the community to create this exhibit.

Incorporating research gathered by historian John Hennessy, archaeological testing conducted by Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, and recommendations collected by the City of Fredericksburg, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, and the Memorials Advisory Commission, the development of this exhibition was overseen by members of the museum’s African American History Committee. Representatives from the FAM’s staff and Board of Directors, the City of Fredericksburg, the Department of Community Planning, the Economic Development and Tourism Office, scholars and administrators from the University of Mary Washington and Germanna Community College, K-12 educators, leaders from local businesses and nonprofits, and community members all contributed ideas and input in the creation of the exhibit.

Fugitive Findings highlights the accomplishments of creators of color, while also acknowledging the diversity of challenges these creators overcame to make art and achieve recognition. Featuring the works of Harriet Ann Jacobs, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Nella Larsen, James Baldwin, and Adrienne Kennedy, the materials represent the trajectory of African American artistic production, from the Antebellum period to the present.

The display is on view during the 18th Annual Sequels Symposium, Fugitive Futures: Graduate Students of Color Un-settling the University. The symposium, hosted by The University of Texas at Austin’s Ethnic and Third World Literatures concentration and the Global South Collective, runs from February 28 to March 2. It aims to foster discussions engaged in “anti-colonial revolutionary possibilities over and above orthodox postcolonial studies,” and “is dedicated to centering the personal writing and testimony of graduate students of color as a means of community building [and] decolonizing knowledge production.”

Following the spirit of the symposium, two of the graduate students of color from the University’s Department of American Studies and the Program in Comparative Literature curated Fugitive Findings. The project intends to showcase the specific challenges involved in the development of a display focused entirely on artists of color. Collecting practices and scarcity of materials, often worsened by financial insecurity, and particular difficulty achieving recognition, demand creative and careful research.