Racial segregation and National Parks – UMW experts are lending their expertise to the project

It’s a time of American history that is still raw and painful – segregation. It is, however, even more important to remember and preserve these moments so the country can move forward and learn from its past.

It’s a project that University of Mary’s Washington’s Erin Devlin has taken on in collaboration with federal government.

“The National Park Service has installed a wayside exhibit outside the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center on the history of segregation at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

The exhibit highlights a former garage that in the 1930s and 1940s housed segregated restrooms for African American visitors. One of those restrooms is still in use and retains the original tile and fixtures. The larger building is now the park’s gift shop and bookstore.

The new exhibit was a collaborative effort between the National Park Service and the University of Mary Washington to highlight surviving historic resources related to the local and national story of racial segregation at national parks.

Erin Devlin, assistant professor of history and American studies at UMW, is working with the NPS to develop a historic resource study that will examine the practice of racial segregation in Virginia’s national parks during the first half of the 20th century.”  August 06 – Fredericksburg.com

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Erin Devlin's research focuses on race, public memory, and social justice, and she offers courses in both history and American studies. She is currently working on a historic resource study with the National Park Service focused on segregation and African-American visitation in Virginia’s national parks. Dr. Devlin is available to speak with media regarding this topic – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.