Michael Pasco
Contributing Writer
VCU is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the emancipation this year through the a series of historical programs and lectures called the “Year of Freedom: Confronting Our Past, Facing Our Future.”
150 years ago, Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America, right at the heart of a bitterly contested war that divided the nation. At the same time, then-President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in North America.
“The Year of Freedom series is a project that brought community organizations together to bring together Richmond’s past in an honest way … that will help us deal with our future,” said John Kneebone, a professor of American history at VCU and the chairman of the Year of Freedom organizing committee at VCU.
The committee is composed of faculty from both campuses and across many different disciplines, according to Ryan Smith, professor of American religious history at VCU and a member of the committee.
The committee began discussions in 2011. According to Kneebone, VCU had been involved with the Future of Richmond’s Past project in previous years.
“We felt that the Sesquicentennial provided an opportunity and VCU, with its diversity, provided the right location for learning and communication about the past and the present,” said Kneebone, who added that the title, “Year of Freedom,” was chosen purposely to emphasize the central significance of emancipation in the commemoration and the dialogue that the groups involved hope the Year of Freedom will encourage.
To kick off the series, Kneebone invited Louis Masur, an author and professor of American studies and history at Rutgers University, to lecture on Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation in VCU’s Student Commons on Oct. 3.
Masur’s lecture focused on the content of his latest book, “Lincoln’s Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union,” which detailed the hundred days from when Lincoln forged his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation document to when the decree was finalized. Part of the book is set in Richmond.
A reception and book signing followed where Masur had a chance to talk to VCU students and faculty.
“It started with the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s a subject that, amazingly, hasn’t been examined before,” Masur said. “Lincoln is one of those people that one never gets tired of learning about.”
“I thought it was very informative and reflective with the whole idea of the Emancipation Proclamation,” said VCU student Paul Zaldana. “ I just didn’t know anything that in-depth.”
The Year of Freedom series began at the end of 2010, but VCU’s involvement didn’t begin until this year. So far, VCU is the only university to work with the program.
Richmond’s public history institutions, including the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar, the Black History Museum, the Library of Virginia, the Museum of the Confederacy, the National Park Service, the Valentine Richmond History Center, the Virginia Historical Society are staging Sesquicentennial and Emancipation commemoration events.
“We have a variety of activities planned throughout the year, in addition to the events that other community groups are offering,” Smith said.
Topics center on the Civil War, freedom, medical history and Richmond’s history as a prominent slave trading center.
The next Year of Freedom event will be a luncheon with VCU’s own Isabelle Richman of the School of World Studies on Oct 25, 2012 at noon in the Commons. Richman will speak on the emancipation of Sojourner Truth. Those interested in attending are encouraged to bring their own food.
This is one of many “brown bag” luncheons that started on Oct. 10 when John Shuck, volunteer coordinator at the Evergreen Cemetery, spoke about uncovering Richmond’s premier African-American burial grounds.
HistoryMobile, an interactive museum housed in a 53-foot tractor trailer and run by Virginia’s Civil War 150 Commission, will be at Shafer Court between Nov. 7-9. The roving exhibit draws immersive stories from all over Virginia, with perspectives by those who experienced the Civil War.