Thanks to the intervention of my now-dear friend Beth O’Leary, I joined St. Paul’s in Richmond when I moved here a year ago. Beth also drew me into St. Paul’s then-developing process of research and reflection about the church’s particularly close association with the Confederacy, manifested in a series of memorial windows and tablets, and … More The church where Mary-Cooke Munford worshipped
The Rev. William Sachs, of Richmond’s St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church recently reviewed R. David Cox’s new religious biography of Robert E. Lee in the RTD. The book traces the development of Lee’s religious beliefs and explores how those beliefs shaped his courses of action in the secession crisis, war, and post-war world. I haven’t actually … More Southern white Christians were not confused about slavery
This is called “Rethinking Moral and Religious Education in Reconstruction Richmond”—which is a terrible title for a public talk—and I delivered it today as part of the American Civil War Museum’s Civil War and Emancipation Day program. This represents some preliminary thoughts I’m trying to bring together for a side project, and I’m aware that … More Southern white Christians and Race in Reconstruction Richmond
Robert E. Lee is laid to rest in Richmond’s East End Cemetery. The Veterans Administration headstone marks his military service in the 155th Depot Brigade in World War I. Lee died in 1964 and very little more can be found about him. His name alone is muted irony—Richmond’s Real Robert E. Lee; a man likely … More East End Cemetery and “What Can and Can’t Be Said”
I’ve been working with my new church in Richmond on a project to critically examine its history with respect to race in this city. Everyone involved is keenly aware that research, acknowledgement, reflection, and memorialization are not enough. What we learn about the past needs to shape how we think about the world and how … More Race, erasure, and current events: notes from a Richmond congregation
Things are going well at the new museum. Turns out that all the hot air advocacy I’ve articulated on this blog over the last year actually is viable inside an institution, and even better, shared by others. This place is in transition–I’m excited about the direction it is heading, and glad to be able to be a … More Follow my work on GreenbackAmerica
Not two weeks into Richmond and I’ve already discovered that what I’ve heard is true. History and historic sites are at the center of a fairly robust public dialog. Outside of Asheville and the “Army of Liberation” event last year, I can’t think of any organizations or institutions that are actively nurturing alternative stories or … More Reimagined monuments in RVA
