Juneteenth on the James
Hell's Door is the name given to a particular spot along the "Richmond Slave Trail" where Interstate 95 crosses above the south bank of the James River, or just inside the Flood Wall where Maury and Brander streets meet. When community organizers Heaven Iman and Na'eem Outlaw invited this author to give a "teach-in" on the history of the Trail, they said that the spot was
"where people frequently host local punk and hardcore shows, without very much acknowledgment, reverence of, or respect for the historical and cultural significance of the space. As Black radicals born and raised in southern and coastal Virginia, we recognize that every inch of our beloved state is soaked in the blood of many peoples; it’s hard to find a community space that is NOT the site of some great atrocity. However, we believe that there cannot be reclamation without education, acknowledgment, and respect."
So they decided to organize a Teach-In - Clean Up - Libation
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Participants studied 10 Shockoe Bottom history markers prior to the 60 minute teach-in / Q&A with SGP chair, Ana Edwards
Jonathan Paige Brown Jr., singer/songwriter, performed poignant original tunes inspired by family, history and friends.
And then the storm rolled in ...
