Follow-up on “You did not build the city of Richmond”

August Wade
Staff Columnist

In the column, “You did not build the city of Richmond,” a few very vocal individuals insisted that my column was somehow petty and inaccurate because I stated that slaves built the city of Richmond.

To them, I offer no apology. I was and am correct. The truth of the matter is that enslaved blacks both physically and metaphorically built this city.

What I do need to do, however, is offer an extended elaboration and an unnecessary clarification: Slave labor did not exclusively physically construct the entirety of the city of Richmond.

I take offense to the shirts for two reasons: As a black person, I take offense because it embodies the ethos of white southerner historical negationist who, generally speaking, claim that “slavery wasn’t so bad,” (it was a genocide against black people that involved unwarranted executions, sexual abuse, slave breeding, the destruction of cultural identity, family displacement, inhuman living conditions and general dehumanizing practices, among other crimes) and that “the Confederacy wanted to get rid of slavery,” (inaccurate for a number of reasons, but the fact that the Confederate vice president, Alexander Stephens, believed slavery was the ideological corner-stone of the Confederate government should speak volumes); as a current (and temporary) Richmond resident, I take offense because it’s factually and metaphorically inaccurate.

When I say slaves built the city of Richmond, I am afraid I did not accurately articulate the truth as it should be known. In “Built by Blacks: African-American Architecture and Neighborhoods in Richmond,” by Selden Richardson and Maurice Duke, the authors clearly state the role of slave labor in the construction of the city of Richmond: “Through their forced labor, African American slaves played a major role in shaping the physical appearance and moral structure of Richmond long before it was incorporate as a city in 1782 … [They] furnished much of the unskilled labor that dug Richmond’s canals, constructed buildings and manned the growing number of heavy industries. clustered along the banks of the James River.”

Slaves built the city of Richmond, from before it was a city, thus making it viable to incorporate as a city, and metaphorically after they’d been forced to physically construct the city by acting as Richmond’s economic engine.

To further emphasize the point on slavery’s economic impact, Professor Midori Takagi states in her 1999 book “Rearing Wolves to Our Own Destruction: Slavery in Richmond, Virginia, 1782-1865,” that “slave labor that made tobacco manufacturing (the backbone of Richmond’s antebellum economy) a multimillion­dollar industry by 1860 and greatly contributed to the growth of a range of other industries.”

It is interest to note that Takagi also found urban slaves in Richmond “highly skilled workers. Richmond slaves were not ordinary field hands, but craftsmen, ironmakers, blacksmiths, tailors, and tobacco processors,” showing that they weren’t just the economic engineers that made the establishment of Richmond and the antebellum American economy functional, but were physically involved with the construction of the nation and the city.

These are the clear, plain facts: Slaves built Richmond and slavery built Richmond, directly through forced labor and indirectly, by being an economic force and industry.

Without the kidnapping and enslavement of blacks (who would later become African Americans) by white Europeans, and the white European-inflicted genocide of indigenous tribes (that are collectively and colloquially known as Native Americans), there would be no America as we know it today. There would be no plantations, no booming industrial economy, no White House, no United States of America.

I don’t hate to say “I told you so.”

As an aside, as we all know, slavery did exist in Africa and throughout the world before the Transatlantic slave trade began. That point has little to nothing to do with my column or claims. Just because something is the norm doesn’t make it correct or somehow excusable. If, in a hypothetical world, the roles were reversed, I assure you my moral compass would be critical of my own people for their hypothetical role in inflicting a human and metaphysical genocide onto a people.

But that is entirely hypothetical and irrelevant to reality. The reality is that white Europeans enslaved, traded, murdered, mutilated, dehumanized and enacted a multi-generational genocide against persons of color and varying ethnicities throughout the globe for hundreds of years, the effects of which still reverberate today. That is the subject of history and reality. To in any way temper, detract or diminish that history in favor of the oppressors is racist, offensive and inexcusable.

Furthermore, and to that point, the fact that Irish people were also enslaved doesn’t make the genocide against blacks any less significant, so much as it further highlights the inhumanity of white Europeans. While the subject of Irish enslavement is, in my opinion, under-discussed, it is not germane to the column for a number of reasons (additionally, historian Noel Ignatiev has written a fine book detailing how the Irish became white, conveniently titled “How the Irish Became White,” by enacting violence against free blacks and supporting slavery). Anyone defending their beliefs regarding the treatment and status of enslaved blacks by highlighting the Irish or other white slaves is working in a false equivalency.

It seems generally agreed upon by commenters that the shirt is a bit silly, and I do understand why people would think me shallow for attacking a shirt (as a side note, an example of me being shallow or petty would be writing about my disdain for people riding Razor scooters around campus, something I did actually do). But it’s not about the shirt. It’s about the message, the arrogance and the ethos that created it.

As I have stated in previous columns throughout the years, VCU has and continues to be a driving force in the city of Richmond. What it has not done, however, is build or rebuild this city. This city has fostered VCU’s growth, given VCU a structure and provided VCU a community to further the betterment of both university students and residents. Richmond is VCU’s home, not the other way around. To assert otherwise, as the message on the shirts does, is yuppie egocentrism. It glorifies the temporary residents that VCU students often are at the expense of misaligning the truth for the sake of attractiveness and to profit. It’s pseudo-revisionism, printed onto a T-shirt. “We helped revitalize this city” may not have the same ring to it, but at least it’s honest and doesn’t prize referentiality and profit over respect.

I’m not saying we should burn the shirts or that they’re racist. Do wear the shirt, if you wish. It is your right as an American to do so and black foremothers and forefathers died so that you may have the right to do so.

If you do, remember what you’re wearing is a bold-print lie, a disrespectful, offensive assertion and an ignorant statement to make. I’m saying they’re disrespectful to Richmond’s current residents and irreverent to the history of Richmond. I’m saying you know nothing about this city or this university. I’m saying you should be ashamed of yourself.

 

42 Comments

  1. It is too bad you have to publish a follow up to placate those who berated you over your original, very well written article. Kind of like chastising a bratty toddler, and then patting them on the head. Let them eat their juice and cookies, they will probably never change. Just know that they are (very slowly) becoming more of a minority, and that more and more of us get it. You can take some credit for that 😉

  2. Pieces put out by a newspaper demand to be critiqued. Wade is not some kind of victim here, he has a pedestal on which to stand and put his views as fact. I do not disregard slaves' contributions to building Richmond, I do, however, not see any relevance to the shirt which says 'We Built This City', an innocent design which stakes no claim over the work of anyone done in the past. May I remind you, the city was not crafted by 100% blacks as Wade portrays. Regardless, no one is trying to make a message about slavery, no one is trying to disregard the work of generations past, they are making a message about the present. The city was in bad shape before VCU bought up old rundown buildings and turned refurbished them. The 'We Built This City' may not be the best way of saying this message, but it most certainly is not saying, 'We Built This City, Not the Slaves'. Wade is trying so hard to be offended and putting his feet out to be stepped on, which is why I, apparently among several took issue with the article. The shirt is not about race, but Wade made it about race. The fact is, VCU IS building this city into a better one and has cleaned up areas that were once crime ridden. Furthermore, he made a point of picking out two white students who were wearing this shirt and that was his catalyst. It's racist to assume that whites are wearing this shirt to spite blacks. Furthermore, just because one is black, does not entail that their family did anything to build this city, especially if you consider that there are black students wearing this T-shirt who are not necessarily from RVA. In which case, those students have even less claim to the notion, 'We Built This City'. Believe me, this article did not placate anyone, it just serves as another reminder that the Commonwealth Times is a joke for journalism.

  3. Zach Snider – I am African-American. The history of African-Americans is my history. When I see something that offends me, I will say so. I do not take this issue lightly.

    For the record, your assertions about my article are entirely false. You claim not to disregard the contributions of slaves in building Richmond, but in the same breathe, disregard the contribution of slaves building Richmond and do little to amend that view throughout your, to be generous, "critique." I acknowledged, in both my articles, VCU's contributions to Richmond. They are significant. But not "We Built This City," significant. "We Built This City" is saying "We, VCU/VCU students built Richmond." How does that not override the true history of Richmond or disregard the work of generations past? Is it impossible to both honor the past and be truthful of the present, or would that be too unprofitable for STAT at VCU?

    This piece isn't a rant. It's about the messages being sent out by a VCU organization, VCU and people in general. I find it interesting that you so aggressively disagree with my opinion, but are simultaneously favorable to amending the message of the shirts. If you disagree with my opinion, that's fine, but please do not assert falsehoods about me, my intentions or my thoughts. I do not think you understand or have clearly read either one of my articles.

    For someone who regularly comments on the opinion section and other Commonwealth Times articles, I'm surprised you think the Commonwealth Times, an award-winning newspaper, is a joke for journalism.

    • What about the Slavs? Families were massacred, babies thrown on stakes, women raped, men cut open. Many have suffered through out history becuase they had something desirable, or because of thier status or race……just throwing it out there; maybe an interesting topic to incorporate.

  4. August Wade I don't care if you're African American. I don't care if you're white. I don't care if you're a Martian. I care if you speak truth and you do not speak the whole truth, for one thing. Furthermore, you have yet to address the racist sentiment you put out in your original article or, you know, all the points I made:

    Zach Snider I like how both the people above are white and both the people below are black. Trying to paint a picture aren't we? If it were two black students wearing hoodies which said 'We Built This City' I would hope that it would have not discouraged the writing of this article. For example, if a black student from Northern VA were to wear a 'We Built This City', it should piss you off equally as much, or for that matter, even a black student from Richmond because they equally, as much as the whites which walk these streets, did not build this city.
    Like · Reply · 1 · September 23 at 8:02pm · Edited

    Kuku Assiamah If you know the history of Richmond , I dont think you would have made such a comment
    Like · September 23 at 10:50pm

    Chris Kasbarian i built it
    Like · September 23 at 11:17pm

    Chris Kasbarian me, thats who!
    Like · September 23 at 11:17pm

    Zach Snider Oh really Kuku? You don't think it is reasonable to respond in kind to any individual who wears a "We Built This City" T shirt? You must not understand my point. None of us 'built' this city. This city was built centuries ago. That is my point. To pretend that because one is black that they hold any greater claim to having built this city is pointless and fruitless, as there were so many involved in the creation and physical construction of this city. Furthermore, it is hateful and stupid to be any more pissed at white students for wearing these T shirts than a student of any other race. You don't know that person's history, you don't know their family's history. For all the average person knows, the student's ancestor could have been the first mayor of Richmond, or could have been among the construction workers, or could have defended this city in times of war. Let's look at it another way, I bet a black student from Northern Virginia is even more likely to not have any relatives who have ever set foot in Richmond, Virginia than perhaps a white student whose family has lived here since its beginning. Simply put, whining about the race of a person who wears the T shirt is beside the point and frankly, just another reason to bring race up. Again, if it were me, I'd change the shirt to say something more like, "We're building this city" or "We're improving this city" and so on, as to say "We built this city" is both egotistical and fatuous as no one has a greater claim to this city than the other. But please, be histrionic about a more or less stupid T shirt. If a T shirt can make people offended, I cannot but hope for the sanity of their minds when they encounter something truly revolting.
    Like · 5 · September 23 at 11:53pm

    The Commonwealth Times has yet to impress me with its echo chamber journalism. I don't care how many awards you get, I care if you're good journalism. I haven't found that to be the case. So Mr. Wade, you have no more claim to this city than I, nor does any black person have more claim to this city than any white person. No one living today built this city. No one alive owns this city. If that offends you, then perhaps you have some opinions on whites that you ought to amend. The reason I can disregard slavery as not being important to the discussion of 'We Built This City' is because 'We Built This City' is not a statement about slavery nor the ultimate origins of this city. 'We Built This City' is a statement regarding near past to present history, that is to say, it makes no claim regarding slavery or any point in the past. I understand if you are offended because it is left to interpretation, but offence is taken, not given. You can still be offended when offence was not intended. It is this such case that you fall into: you are offended when none is in the least bit intended. But do make an issue out of a stupid T shirt, I will focus my attention to things which matter.

  5. August Wade I don't care if you're African American. I don't care if you're white. I don't care if you're a Martian. I care if you speak truth and you do not speak the whole truth, for one thing. Furthermore, you have yet to address the racist sentiment you put out in your original article or, you know, all the points I made:

    Zach Snider I like how both the people above are white and both the people below are black. Trying to paint a picture aren't we? If it were two black students wearing hoodies which said 'We Built This City' I would hope that it would have not discouraged the writing of this article. For example, if a black student from Northern VA were to wear a 'We Built This City', it should piss you off equally as much, or for that matter, even a black student from Richmond because they equally, as much as the whites which walk these streets, did not build this city.
    Like · Reply · 1 · September 23 at 8:02pm · Edited

    Kuku Assiamah If you know the history of Richmond , I dont think you would have made such a comment
    Like · September 23 at 10:50pm

    Chris Kasbarian i built it
    Like · September 23 at 11:17pm

    Chris Kasbarian me, thats who!
    Like · September 23 at 11:17pm

    Zach Snider Oh really Kuku? You don't think it is reasonable to respond in kind to any individual who wears a "We Built This City" T shirt? You must not understand my point. None of us 'built' this city. This city was built centuries ago. That is my point. To pretend that because one is black that they hold any greater claim to having built this city is pointless and fruitless, as there were so many involved in the creation and physical construction of this city. Furthermore, it is hateful and stupid to be any more pissed at white students for wearing these T shirts than a student of any other race. You don't know that person's history, you don't know their family's history. For all the average person knows, the student's ancestor could have been the first mayor of Richmond, or could have been among the construction workers, or could have defended this city in times of war. Let's look at it another way, I bet a black student from Northern Virginia is even more likely to not have any relatives who have ever set foot in Richmond, Virginia than perhaps a white student whose family has lived here since its beginning. Simply put, whining about the race of a person who wears the T shirt is beside the point and frankly, just another reason to bring race up. Again, if it were me, I'd change the shirt to say something more like, "We're building this city" or "We're improving this city" and so on, as to say "We built this city" is both egotistical and fatuous as no one has a greater claim to this city than the other. But please, be histrionic about a more or less stupid T shirt. If a T shirt can make people offended, I cannot but hope for the sanity of their minds when they encounter something truly revolting.
    Like · 5 · September 23 at 11:53pm

    The Commonwealth Times has yet to impress me with its echo chamber journalism. I don't care how many awards you get, I care if you're good journalism. I haven't found that to be the case. So Mr. Wade, you have no more claim to this city than I, nor does any black person have more claim to this city than any white person. No one living today built this city. No one alive owns this city. If that offends you, then perhaps you have some opinions on whites that you ought to amend. The reason I can disregard slavery as not being important to the discussion of 'We Built This City' is because 'We Built This City' is not a statement about slavery nor the ultimate origins of this city. 'We Built This City' is a statement that makes no claim regarding slavery or any point in the past. If anything, it is a statement about VCU buying rundown buildings and fixing them up, turning whole sections of the city into nicer, less crime ridden areas. I understand if you are offended because it is left to interpretation, but offence is taken, not given. You can still be offended when offence was not intended. It is this such case that you fall into: you are offended when none is in the least bit intended. But do make an issue out of a stupid T shirt, I will focus my attention to things which matter.

  6. I still don't understand what you're upset about. I didn't saying anything racist in either of my articles and it's disrespect for you to assert that I did.

  7. August Wade "But context matters and seeing two white students wearing VCU shirts with the words “We built this city” is frustrating, to say the least." You made a point of saying they were white students. Is that not racist? As if it mattered that white students would be wearing these as opposed to blacks. My point is that is obviously matters to you that they were white, yet as I stated above, the students race should have nothing to do with this. Just a petty excuse to bring up race where race is not an issue. You took it as an attack when there was no attack.

  8. No, it's not racist. Not at all. I identified two students. They were white. Nothing racist about seeing white people and saying they're white. If you're offended I saw white people and called them white, that's your problem.

  9. August Wade It was the sentiment with them happening to be white. You made a point to mention they were white students and then that you were frustrated. You then go on to take about how slaves built the city and one can infer that you believe these white students to be ignorant of slaves having built the city, thus, it makes you frustrated that they are wearing this T-shirt. Make yourself more clear next time as if I had stated that I saw two black students and then said, I thought they might rob me, it would be obvious how I should have made it clear that I was not being racist. Make sure that your frustration is not in connection with them having been white and you're good, otherwise, people will think the opposite

  10. Zach Snider – No.

    I made myself clear.

    The difference between you and I right now is that I'm dealing in reality and you're dealing in not-reality. Sorry not sorry, but I'm not playing "what if" with you. Stop making my work/this column about you. It's not about you. It's hardly about me even. I don't have to make sure my frustration is not in connection with them having been white. I can be frustrated that I saw white students wearing shirts that say "We built this city." I am frustrated that I saw white students wearing shirts that say "We built this city" (to understand why, read both the column and the follow-up).

  11. I glad that you the haters gave you a platform to serve everyone another helping of truth. It a shame that haters won't eat the humble pie that's coming with it for free.

  12. No, I made myself clear.

    The difference between you and I right now is that I'm dealing in reality and you're dealing in not-reality. Sorry, but I'm not playing "what if" with you.

  13. Zach Snider do you need a hug? It appears to me you have been sitting on your laurels waiting to pounce on every issue the CT has put out for the last year and a half. How many articles did I find with you arguing with the writers? Enough for it to be obvious that you, my dear, need some friends. Richmond has so much to offer, no matter where your interests lie. I would be willing to drive up there to hang out with you, I was just there yesterday to take my daughter to lunch. Maybe we could find something positive for you to do, and I would even bring you punch and cookies! (Being a mom, I make awesome cookies!) I really do feel sorry for you because I can see you sitting there in your apartment by yourself with no one else to correspond with, just waiting for that next article you can troll. They just wrapped up production. It will be interesting to see how long you can last before you pounce haha Really though, Zach, the offer of a hug and some positive friendship stands. I think everyone deserves at least one.

  14. Teri Thomas Dermody I don't have time for dumbasses like you who are trying to shame me and feign intelligence. Get your kicks somewhere else or go learn to mock people better, cause it's not working. You criticize the criticizer and think yourself not a hypocrite? Get real.

    August, I'm not dealing in 'non-reality', I read the words on your page. Perhaps I was mistaken, and I'll take your word for it if you did not mean what I thought you meant. Perhaps next time you should clarify that you didn't care that it was white students rather than black students or any other ethnicity wearing those shirts. Furthermore, to not be offended by something which did not intend to offend because in doing so, you are the victim of things which you do not have to be. No one made a statement on slavery, and yet, you turn it into a race issue when the 'We Built This City' shirt has absolutely nothing to say on the matter of slavery in the United States. I don't care if you think I deal in 'not-reality', what you said was either purposefully misleading or subconsciously racist, you choose because you don't utter "But context matters and seeing two white students wearing VCU shirts with the words “We built this city” is frustrating, to say the least." when you know full well that there are many students who wear this T-shirt and thus, it certainly appears that you are pissed off because they are white kids wearing the shirt. So that is my question, if a black student were wearing this T-shirt, would you be just as mad? If so, we would have no quarrel except that you like to stir up controversy for the hell of it.

  15. Teri Thomas Dermody I don't have time for igits like you who are trying to shame me and feign intelligence. Get your kicks somewhere else or go learn to mock people better, cause it's not working. You criticize the criticizer and think yourself not a hypocrite? Get real. My political views, as well as my inclination towards criticism of crap does entail having no friends, but please, do continue trying to shame me cause that's all you know best apparently. Thus always are the brainless.

    August, I'm not dealing in 'non-reality', I read the words on your page. Perhaps I was mistaken, and I'll take your word for it if you did not mean what I thought you meant. Perhaps next time you should clarify that you didn't care that it was white students rather than black students or any other ethnicity wearing those shirts. Furthermore, to not be offended by something which did not intend to offend because in doing so, you are the victim of things which you do not have to be. No one made a statement on slavery, and yet, you turn it into a race issue when the 'We Built This City' shirt has absolutely nothing to say on the matter of slavery in the United States. I don't care if you think I deal in 'not-reality', what you said was either purposefully misleading or subconsciously racist, you choose because you don't utter "But context matters and seeing two white students wearing VCU shirts with the words “We built this city” is frustrating, to say the least." when you know full well that there are many students who wear this T-shirt and thus, it certainly appears that you are pissed off because they are white kids wearing the shirt. So that is my question, if a black student were wearing this T-shirt, would you be just as mad? If so, we would have no quarrel except that you like to stir up controversy for the hell of it.

  16. Zach Snider "go learn to mock people better"… You are cute when you start spitting feathers 🙂 I remember when my kids would sound bratty like that, back in the toddler days. Such a cute time!

  17. Teri Thomas Dermody Teri Thomas Dermody I don't have time for igits like you who are trying to shame me and feign intelligence. Get your kicks somewhere else or go learn to mock people better, cause it's not working. You criticize the criticizer and think yourself not a hypocrite? Get real. My political views, as well as my inclination towards criticism of crap does entail having no friends, but please, do continue trying to shame me cause that's all you know best apparently. Thus always are the brainless.

    August, I'm not dealing in 'non-reality', I read the words on your page. Perhaps I was mistaken, and I'll take your word for it if you did not mean what I thought you meant. Perhaps next time you should clarify that you didn't care that it was white students rather than black students or any other ethnicity wearing those shirts. Furthermore, to not be offended by something which did not intend to offend because in doing so, you are the victim of things which you do not have to be. No one made a statement on slavery, and yet, you turn it into a race issue when the 'We Built This City' shirt has absolutely nothing to say on the matter of slavery in the United States. I don't care if you think I deal in 'not-reality', what you said clearly appears to be either purposefully misleading or subconsciously racist. You choose to say "But context matters and seeing two white students wearing VCU shirts with the words “We built this city” is frustrating, to say the least." when you know full well that there are many students who wear this T-shirt and thus, it certainly appears that you are pissed off because they are white kids wearing the shirt. So that is my question, if a black student were wearing this T-shirt, would you be just as mad? If so, we would have no quarrel except that you like to stir up controversy for the hell of it.

  18. Zach Snider, ohhhhhhhh we are an ANGRY boy today, aren't we! Trying to insult me by insinuating you know my age is pretty weak; you are not helping your case here. Clearly, you are already lost. I would rather not join you. Do you have nothing better to do on this beautiful Sunday but post angry rants and petty insults on a college newspaper site? Get out and fly a kite or something. Maybe actually go HELP SOMEONE who needs it and do some good 🙂 I plan to deliver a few babies today, that will be my contribution. I may even bake some cookies and send them to VCU in your name, I believe you could use them.

  19. Zach Snider Pity. I think you could have used having a friend in your life. Playing the angry rage filled loner leaves you just as that.

  20. In the waning days of the Civil War, most of Richmond was completely destroyed by fire started by the retreating Confederate troops. Almost every pre-war building left in the city (there aren't that many), are being historically preserved because of this. There just aren't many buildings left built by slave labor. This is if you are taking the "We built this city" literally as you seem to be.

    Richmond's main "boom" period was certainly after slavery had ended, from 1890-1929 when the city became the most densely populated in the South and Jackson Ward was akin to cultural Harlem. It had the worlds first electric streetcar system. It was an economic powerhouse. Many of our great theaters and buildings were built. Most of the Fan (Currently Richmonds most iconic neighborhood) was built during this time. Heck, Richmond's iconic architectural style (with row houses setback and large porches) is due from being one of the few cities to be completely constructed during this time. It is very distinct from DC/Philly/NYC/Boston as they already were grown. All of this is post Civil War up until the Great Depression.

    I would correct you and edit your statement: freed slaves and their children built Richmond as we know it today. And obviously they wouldn't exist/be here without slavery, but i think that's a big asterisk for a Tshirt.

    Why don't you quibble with the second line of the Verse and say "Rock and Roll wouldn't exist without slavery"? Technically, you'd be just as correct.

    BTW: Richmond's second "boom" was during the 60's and 70's, of which VCU was a very, very large part of. Look at Richmond's skyline sometime and tell me what you see.

    Finally: It's a stupid Tshirt. VCU stores also sell booty shorts with RAM THIS on the back. Please relax. Most people are aware of this nation's (and this city's) debt to the worst institution in history.

  21. In the waning days of the Civil War, most of Richmond was completely destroyed by fire started by the retreating Confederate troops. Almost every pre-war building left in the city (there aren't that many), are being historically preserved because of this. There just aren't many buildings left built by slave labor. This is if you are taking the "We built this city" literally as you seem to be.

    Richmond's main "boom" period was certainly after slavery had ended, from 1890-1929 when the city became the most densely populated in the South and Jackson Ward was akin to cultural Harlem. It had the worlds first electric streetcar system. It was an economic powerhouse. Many of our great theaters and buildings were built. Most of the Fan (Currently Richmonds most iconic neighborhood) was built during this time. Heck, Richmond's iconic architectural style (with row houses setback and large porches) is due from being one of the few cities to be completely constructed during this time. It is very distinct from DC/Philly/NYC/Boston as they already were grown. All of this is post Civil War up until the Great Depression.

    I would correct you and edit your statement: freed slaves and their children built Richmond as we know it today. And obviously they wouldn't exist/be here without slavery, but i think that's a big asterisk for a Tshirt.

    Why don't you quibble with the second line of the Verse and say "Rock and Roll wouldn't exist without slavery"? Technically, you'd be just as correct.

    BTW: Richmond's second "boom" was during the 60's and 70's, of which VCU was a very, very large part of. Look at Richmond's skyline sometime and tell me what you see.

    Finally: It's a stupid Tshirt. VCU stores also sell booty shorts with RAM THIS on the back. Please relax on this particular "issue". The real fights regarding civil rights are currently going on as we speak. Those are the ones that deserve editorials. I would hope that most people are aware of this nation's (and this city's) debt to the worst institution in history and weren't misled by a Tshirt.

  22. Well done. I think it's indisputable that slaves did enormous, largely unrecognized work to build Richmond into the city it became — the city it is now. Arguing otherwise is arguing against history. As for those complaining that the topic is silly or unnecessary, I'd reply: Then why do you feel so strongly compelled to argue? Sometimes it's good to ask yourself why something hit a nerve … as this topic clearly did.

  23. While there is no doubt the Virginia economy, like that of most southern states, benefitted greatly from the free labor the institution of slavery provided in the 17th-19th centuries, it's important to note also that virtually the entire city of Richmond was burned to the ground in the last days of the Civil War. Prominent citizens went bankrupt and lost everything, and what followed was a period of severe economic depression during reconstruction as former slaves (as well as free blacks- many of whom themselves formerly owned slaves) migrated north to work in any number of factories and industries. Today's Richmond, save for the long-since-defunct canals and maybe a few headstones in Hollywood Cemetery is all Post-Bellum and was not built by slave labor at all, but rather, technological innovation, human ingenuity and capitalist entrepreneurship. Everyone who has been through the public school system knows and understands how vile, oppressive, and sickening the institution of slavery was (because they spend months studying it). It is a bitter stain of a chapter of American history. That said, the need that so many young people today feel to try to disparage something as innocent as a VCU T-Shirt reading "We Built this City" is troubling. It shows that today's young people are quick to race-bait and shame those showing school pride for a nationally-recognized university that has cleaned up many a drug infested, crime ridden neighborhood and provided opportunities for advancement to many minority students across the commonwealth. To criticize this mission while dredging up a skewed and biased version of Virginia history is moving backward, not forward.

  24. The "burning of Richmond" is a common impression of what happened at the end of the Civil War. But it turns out that only about a dozen blocks burned, most of them warehouses — this is detailed extensively in histories of that period. Here is a contemporary map: http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3884r.cw0641000/
    People who live in Richmond know how much of our beautiful downtown and Church Hill neighborhoods predate the Civil War — we're quite proud of them. We'd hate for people to think the city is built on a foundation of burned ruins — far from it!

  25. repost, because of similar points: The "burning of Richmond" is a common impression of what happened at the end of the Civil War. But it turns out that only about a dozen blocks burned, most of them warehouses — this is detailed extensively in histories of that period. Here is a contemporary map: http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3884r.cw0641000/
    People who live in Richmond know how much of our beautiful downtown and Church Hill neighborhoods predate the Civil War — we're quite proud of them. We'd hate for people to think the city is built on a foundation of burned ruins — far from it!

  26. Aside from the fact that the evacuation fire consumed 90% of the business district, and with it the economic engine of the region, I suppose a better question to ask would be: What percentage of structures currently standing in Richmond pre-date emancipation? I would guess fewer than 5%

  27. That is precisely the point, it hit a nerve that was begging to be hit. Wade took offense and put his nerve on the chopping block. His offense was taken, not given to him. No one made a statement regarding slavery nor the nitty gritty of the origins of Richmond. 'We Built This City' is indeed a vain, egotistical, and fatuous slogan to put on a t-shirt, but not one which meant to offend. So perhaps Wade has some insecurities he needs to address, not the other way around. If you ask me, it appears it is just an easy jab and cheap way to bring race and slavery up yet again into the minds of people who strive to progress, not regress.

  28. There are always haters when uncomfortable truth is shared. That being said, I don't know where they are, nor am I looking for them.

  29. Both articles would have been great pieces on their own… far away from a silly t-shirt brouhaha. it's a stupid t-shirt. that's it.

  30. Not sure if I am late on this but you realize that you are using words incorrectly, right? You say that slaves "metaphorically" built the city of Richmond, a metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance. Maybe you meant metaphysical which you have used incorrectly throughout your pieces as well, regardless I think you should stop using these types of words until you understand what they mean. I did a double take when you said that slavery was a type of genocide, and I'm sure that many people of Jewish descent would be happy to educate you what a true genocide is. Again, a genocide is a systematic extermination of a people based on their ethnicity, religion, political beliefs etc.

    I'm sure with the amount of research you have done on this subject (assuming you are actually reading your sources not just finding quotes and cutting/pasting) you would of found that the number of slave owners in the south was roughly 1-3% of the population. Most successful businesses don't systematically destroy their factors of production, and while the institution of American slavery is deplorable, you can't argue against the profits the owners were making. So, why would they systematically kill off their cheap labor? It makes no sense from a business point of view, and many economists agree that slavery would of died out naturally as the cotton industry rapidly expanded in India and Egypt during the 1800s.

    You should also go familiarize yourself with Anthony Johnson, who was an indentured servant (not a slave) that had been captured by a neighboring tribe in Angola and sold to Europeans. Wait, didn't you say that Europeans…no wait you prefer the term "white". Yes, white people were responsible for kidnapping Africans to sell into slavery that was your claim I believe. Europeans capitalized on the tribal warfare that existed at the time and traded warlike tribes for their prisoners of war. What did the Europeans trade them? Guns, so they could easily capture more prisoners and increase these warlords power. Back to Anthony Johnson, who was African and after finishing his contract as an indentured servant, purchased 50 acres and started his own tobacco farm. Wouldn't you know it, he got himself a few African indentured servants and when one of their contracts was up he wouldn't let him leave. Thus, you have the first slave in the American colonies who was actually owned by an African. 7 years later, in 1661, Virginia made the practice of slavery available to all people and legalizing slavery.

    Next time you decide to make a non race issue an issue you really should do a little more homework and research. Thus, concludes the history lesson.

    August, if you are going to go up on a pedestal to preach about the horrors of racism and white people then I believe you are the one who should be ashamed. Unfortunately, I do not know you as a person but after reading a few of your pieces and talking directly to you I believe that your own racist undertones are frightening. We can't go back and change what has happened in the past, we can only affect our present and future.

    Please, for the sake of our future generations stop trying to make racial issues out of something that is not racially driven at all. You are in a position where people will inevitably listen to you and you have the intelligence as well as drive to truly make a difference. I believe that the horrors of slavery and the people who perpetuated it is not something that should just be forgotten about or shrugged off. But just listing off opinions disguised as facts will do nothing but set us back as a society. Based off our previous conversations, you will undoubtedly take offense to what I have said and essentially deny what I have posted here. However, please don't label me as a white supremacist or racist again because I am neither of those and name calling is neither productive nor flattering.

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