Reckoning: Landscapes and Legacies of Slavery

The landscape of Virginia, as elsewhere in the U.S., is largely a legacy of slavery. Enslaved women and men constructed roads, cleared fields, and raised buildings still used today, but the centrality of black people’s labor, skill, knowledge, and ability in crafting these spaces was often publically obscured during the twentieth century. Many people have been able to move along country roads, sidewalks in small towns, and paths on university campuses without acknowledging – some indeed oblivious to – the role that coerced labor played in their creation. Recent archaeological and historical investigations help prompt remembering and greater understanding of African-Virginians’ creation of the enduring landscape, not only re-illuminating their activity but also facilitating reflection on and discussion of the racialized past. Research focused on human remains, cemeteries, plantation yards and quarters, town lots, and university campuses obliges diverse community members, including historical archaeologists, to reckon with legacies of slavery in Virginia.