Featured Post from University of Mary Washington

Civil Rights Trail Reveals Series of Never-Before-Heard Stories

Sep 29, 2023

1 min


This past February, during Black History Month, the City of Fredericksburg – known for its pivotal role in the Civil War – unveiled a civil rights trail: “Freedom, a Work in Progress.”



Years in the making, the three-mile trail guides participants through the city’s post-Civil War history, including several stops on the UMW campus, tying together a saga of persecution and peril, power and promise. It chronicles court rulings and protests from the Jim Crow era to the Black Lives Matter movement, drawing together never-before-heard testimonies of the people and places that helped shape the civil rights narrative.


“I can’t even begin to describe to you what a fantastic day this is for … our Black community,”  Chris Williams, Assistant Director of the James Farmer Multicultural Center said during the February unveiling.


Featuring Virginia historical markers – the second of which is set to be unveiled during this year’s Juneteenth commemoration – the trail brings to public consciousness the struggle for everyday freedoms, justice and equality inherent with being a Black American.



If you are interested in learning more about Black History in Virginia - then let us help.


Chris Williams,  Assistant Director of the James Farmer Multicultural Center is available to speak with media. 


Simply email him at cwilli27@umw.edu or contact:


Lisa Chinn Marvashti, Media and Public Relations at University of Mary Washington

lchinn@umw.edu to arrange an interview today.

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