by Joy Lim
Joy Lim is a Sophomore from Dallas, Texas majoring in Rhetoric/Communication Studies + Sociology and minoring in Anthropology. She is involved in the Westhampton College Government Association (WCGA), Alpha Phi Omega (APO), Delta Gamma (DG), Korean American Student Association (KASA), YouthLife, and is a mentor in the Peer Advisors and Mentors program (PAM). This is her first year working with the Race & Racism Project but she is interested in continuing this work in the future. She hopes to explore social justice issues not just on the University of Richmond campus but around the world as she continues her studies.
Dinosaur Kingdom was a site visit that took me by complete surprise. The initial shock came at the entrance of the park because it was located right off the side of the highway across the street from some type of zoo. Compared to the zoo, Dinosaur Kingdom had far less visitors and was surrounded by a large wooden fence that made it seem like a fortress of some kind. This fence obstructs everyone’s view to the inside and really leaves you wondering what could be behind such an interesting entrance. The park, in general, seemed rather empty and run-down right from the start, which allowed me to form an initial judgement about the site. Prior to visiting, all that I knew about the site was that it was related to the confederacy and somehow, dinosaurs were involved.