In the nineteenth century, more than 300,000 men, women, and children were auctioned off as slaves in the Shockoe Bottom district of Richmond, Virginia. Second only to New Orleans, Richmond served as the largest market for the U.S. slave trade in the early nineteenth century. In the past five years, there has been a grassroots movement to build a memorial park in the Shockoe Bottom area to remember the historical significance of this area. Controversially, the city also has a growing interest in building a new stadium for the Flying Squirrels baseball team in the same district. The city is looking to stimulate the city’s economy through the construction of a new stadium, whereas others argue that a memorial park would bring in little revenue to the city. The council has proposed including a memorial heritage site within the baseball stadium complex. These two ideas have developed into a battle of what is most important for the needs of the city: a need for the community’s memory to be protected or the need to bring in significant profits for the city through a structure intended for public gatherings. Is the city better off with the construction of a baseball stadium or a memorial park in remembrance of Richmond’s slave trade? Continue reading →