‘Before we can reconcile and reconnect, we must recompense’: Federal grant aims to build park reconnecting Jackson Ward

Varsha Vasudevan, Staff Writer

A federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, DOT, will be used to reconnect Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood, according to the Reconnect Jackson Ward initiative. 

The grant is part of an initiative called Reconnecting Pilots Program by the Biden-Harris administration, which aims to reconnect communities throughout the U.S., according to the DOT’s press release. 

The $185 million grant, announced on Feb. 28, provides awards for 45 projects to reconnect communities inconvenienced or harmed by past government “infrastructure decisions,” the release states. 

“Transportation infrastructure should help people get where they need to be, but, too often in our nation’s history, transportation infrastructure has done the opposite by dividing neighborhoods and cutting off communities from opportunity,” the release states. 

This grant would be significant for a neighborhood like Jackson Ward due to its traumatic history, Maritza Penchin, deputy director at Richmond’s office of equitable development, stated in an interview with Virginia Public Media.

Interstate 95 was built through Jackson Ward in the 1950s, breaking up the neighborhood and destroying the community, according to Penchin. A park is to be built as a means of reconnecting Jackson Ward. 

Many homes were also disproportionately taken away from Black homeowners by the government during the building of the interstate, according to the Journal of Urban History. 

Gary Flowers, fourth-generation resident of Jackson Ward and owner of Walking the Ward with Gary Flowers, said he believes the interstate was built to cut through Jackson Ward intentionally.

“Jackson Ward was the most profitable Black enclave in the nation,” Flowers said. “We believe as fourth-generation families of Jackson Ward, that it [the interstate] was placed to disrupt Black capitalism.”

Flowers said he wondered how those affected by the building of the intersection would be compensated by the federal grant. 

“My first questions were, ‘what is the recompense for the Black business owners, institution owners and homeowners of Jackson Ward?’” Flowers said. “Secondly, ‘with this new money, who will own the property and the new development?’”

Flowers said the physical reconnection of Jackson Ward would not adequately compensate for the economic devastation caused to Black Jackson Ward residents. 

“I am not so much enamored with a topical path over I-95 than I am with dealing with who was displaced; as in, Black families and institutions,” Flowers said,

Flowers said he would like the bill to explicitly include information about Black ownership of the land and who it is intending to benefit. 

Virginia has the opportunity to set precedent by prioritizing Black ownership and repaying the debt to the Black business owners and families of Jackson Ward during this initiative, according to Flowers.

“Before we can reconcile and reconnect, we must recompense,” Flowers said. “The issue of the placement of this topical reconnector can have Virginia serve as a model for other communities along the Eastern seaboard of Virginia.”

The Reconnect Jackson Ward initiative’s feasibility study final report stated the project prioritized community engagement and detailed steering committee meetings with over 300 community members and community events held for input from residents.

“The process for the Reconnect Jackson Ward Feasibility Study placed an emphasis on public participation to provide the study team with input, ideas, and feedback on the future of Jackson Ward that reflect the needs and desires of the residents and surrounding community,” the report stated. 

During steering committee meetings, 20 “study ambassadors” who would share information about the study to residents, community organizations, descendents of displaced residents and business owners, according to the report.

There were also three public information sessions aiming to raise awareness about the initiative, the first one being on March 3, 2022 and the last one on June 29, 2022, the report stated. 

Douglas Wilder, former governor of Virginia and first ever elected Black governor in the U.S., said the federal grant should emphasize the role of local government in the initiative.

“I would say to you that in my experience in the government, local government is the most important form of government we have in America,” Wilder said. “That’s where the rubber meets the road. That’s where the kids are going to school. That’s where the transportation takes place. That’s where the education takes place.” 

The residents of Jackson Ward and Richmond should get involved in the implementation of the grant along with the local government, Wilder said.

“I would say we need to involve everybody,” Wilder said. “That’s why on so many occasions, politically, I don’t describe Virginia as a blue state nor a red state. I used to say it’s a purple state. But now I call it a people’s state.”

Wilder said he is “very concerned” with the lack of details about local leadership mentioned in the grant. It is “lamentable” as there doesn’t seem to be actual efforts from the government and political organizations to represent the residents’ best interests, according to Wilder.

“Am I being critical? Yeah. I just hope it’s not the cynicism of old age,” Wilder said. “I hate to say this, but I don’t see the type of relief we are discussing that’s needed.”

Wilder said he plans to wait until the grant is implemented to make judgments about its legitimacy.

“I’m not supporting anything that’s as empty as the proposal is; it’s not connected to anything,” Wilder said. “Words mean nothing. Action speaks.”