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Dedication Celebration: July 20-21, 2008
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Sunday, July 20, 2008*
Reconciliation Statue Guided Walking Tour 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.Virginia State Capitol: East Grounds (Corner of 15th and Main Streets)
Guests are encouraged to enjoy a walking tour to see one of three international Reconciliation Statues located at the eastern corner of the State Capitol grounds in the City of Richmond. The reconciliation statue denotes the role of slavery in developing the new world and the need for the city, state and nation to both remember and reconcile its past.
“From Struggle to Triumph to Tomorrow” Symposium 3:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Library of Virginia: Lecture Hall (800 E. Broad Street)
A premiere film clip of “They Closed Our Schools” will introduce the featured event of the day. The film is based on the Moton story and will precede the intellectual symposium to discuss the question of “Are our schools better off today? Where do we go from here?” The symposium will include nationally recognized panel participants: Nikki Giovanni (Acclaimed Poet/Distinguished Professor), Dr. Janice E. Hale (Education Expert/Noted Author), Congressman Bobby Scott (Third U.S. Congressional District), Elaine Jones (former President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund), Cheryl Brown Henderson (President and CEO of the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research), John Stokes (1951 Student Participant in the Moton School Protest and Plaintiff in the Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County) and Andrew Heidelberg (Member of the Norfolk 17 and Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Committee).
“Champions for Change” Reception 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Library of Virginia: Bookstore & Lobby (800 E. Broad Street)
Reception held in honor of Virginia’s Civil Rights heroes will include a book signing with Symposium panelists and honored guests. This will be an ideal opportunity to share personal time with panelists and have onsite access to purchase rare books relative to the topic.
Monday, July 21, 2008**
Virginia State Capitol Open House 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Virginia State Capitol
Hosts will be stationed in the major rooms for the Capitol and will showcase the multimillion dollar restoration of the Virginia State Capitol. The Virginia Capitol also has influenced the design of other early public buildings around the nation. The Virginia General Assembly, America’s oldest continuous legislature, began meeting at the Capitol in 1788. These facts and other interesting stories will be revealed by hosts available inside the Capitol. Use the public entrance located at Bank and 10th Streets.
Unveiling and Dedication Ceremony 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Virginia State Capitol Grounds: North East Corner
The culminating event of the two-day series will be the unveiling and dedication of the Civil Rights Memorial on the Virginia State Capitol grounds. This program is scheduled to last approximately one hour. The Honorable Timothy M. Kaine and the General Assembly Leadership will be the primary speakers as well as Honorary Co-Chairs Julian Bond, Chairman of the NAACP and Nikki Giovanni, acclaimed poet and distinguished professor.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: For your comfort, the below areas will be open to the public and provide an air conditioned environment in which to view the Civil Rights Memorial Dedication Unveiling on Monday, July 21, 2008 . Please have photo identification available to access. See Capitol Map for directions.
- House Room 3 and Senate Room 3 in the Capitol Building
- House Rooms C & D and Senate Rooms A & B in the General Assembly Building
- The ceremony will be displayed through a closed circuit TV channel provided by WCVE.
- The viewing rooms will open at 9:30 a.m.
Reception 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Patrick Henry Building**
(1111 East Broad Street)
All program participants will be welcomed into the Patrick Henry Building for a reception featuring a display of African-American Artwork and Civil Rights Artifacts from the Black History Museum, Moton Museum, Valentine Museum, Richmond Times Dispatch, Virginian Pilot archives and other collections. The public reception will feature a live performance by a noted jazz combo and there will be an additional opportunity to have authors sign books previously purchased from the Library of Virginia.
Share YOUR Story: During the Dedication Celebration on July 20-21, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities in cooperation with the Robert Russa Moton Museum will be recording the memories and impressions of participants in these events. These will be informal interviews, not formal oral histories. They will be used in the development of future educational programs and will become part of the Moton Museum's permanent archive. If you would be willing to share your personal reflections on the meaning of this event, we invite and strongly encourage you to do so. Interviews can be scheduled in advance by contacting the Civil Rights Memorial Foundation or by visiting the sign-up tables at the Library of Virginia Reception on Sunday and on the Capitol Grounds prior to the Unveiling Ceremony on Monday morning. Interviews will take place at the Library of VIrginia on Sunday afternoon, and at the Patrick Henry Building on Monday, following the Unveiling Ceremony. Advance scheduling of interviews is recommended, but not required.
The Governor's Mansion: Tours of the Governor's Mansion may be available from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 21, 2008. Reservations are recommended for groups of 10 or more. To make a reservation for your group please contact the reservation line at 804-371-8687.
- The Library of Virginia provides public parking in it's underground parking deck. Click here for directions and more parking information.
SHUTTLE INFORMATION FOR MONDAY:
- There will be a VCU shuttle bus making a loop between VCU's A Lot (Main Street Station at 15th & Main Street) and the 11th and Broad Street GRTC bus stop from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. leaving approximately every ten minutes.
- There will be a GRTC shuttle service running from Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School (1000 Mosby Street) and the bus loop at Capitol Square. The service will run from 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. The last shuttle will leave the Capitol at 2:45 p.m.
PARKING FOR MONDAY:
- Chartered buses or vans must unload at Bank Street and 9th Street in the designated bus area and then park in the Main Street Station lot.
- Public parking is available at the following lots:
- 14th and Franklin parking deck
- 7th and Marshall parking deck
- Map of downtown Richmond public parking lots [pdf]
*The Valentine Richmond History Center (1015 East Clay St. Richmond, VA 23219) will have special hours including FREE admission for guests of the Civil Rights Memorial Dedication Celebration signature events.
** NOTE: The Patrick Henry Building (PHB) is an Executive Office Building and is subject to the security requirements and an X-ray scan and/or a visual inspection of all packages. Detailed security requirements are listed
here