Williamsburg Sun

Student project paves way for African American Heritage Trail

Though Williamsburg was a city with a majority of Black citizens by the time of the American Revolution, there is relatively little acknowledgment in public spaces of the lives, challenges and triumphs of African American families who have called the city home for generations.

That may soon change.

Through an innovative partnership between the City of Williamsburg and William & Mary, the brainchild of 1693 Scholars Program Director and Professor of Biology Dan Cristol, Williamsburg’s future may hold a far more inclusive and complete retelling of the past than what is currently represented in the public spaces of Virginia’s colonial capital.

In summer 2021, Jack Boyd ’23 accepted the Lemon Project Gaither-Johnson Summer Research Grant administered through the university’s Charles Center for Academic Excellence to conduct research and draft a strategic plan for a city-sponsored African American Heritage Trail that could help illuminate long-overlooked dimensions of Williamsburg’s history.

Boyd, a history major, began his research by listening and learning through conversations with longtime residents, W&M professors, and other community stakeholders.

“I spoke with dozens of individuals, cross referencing their sites and stories, slowly but surely putting together a list of 75 sites that would provide a foundation for future research and trail building,” Boyd said.

The product of his collaborative research is a 35-page plan, which he presented to the Williamsburg City Council, for the creation of a self-guided tour that would allow residents and visitors to experience largely unseen aspects of African American life in the city over the centuries.

Original source can be found here