The first two chapters of Richmond’s Unhealed History made me realize a lot about the city’s roots, and how that history has prevailed up to now. Despite the positive change the city has made to rebrand, it’s important that we always understand how the city was founded. Which then bears the question: What is the story?

I thought this novel has done a great job of being transparent and informative while simultaneously making this an engaging topic to learn and understand. There are records of Spain and other European countries discovering this “new world,” and descriptions of the people they colonized. In Virginia specifically, however, the main focus is the British and their ways of colonizing the indigenous people of Virginia. Despite efforts to get along, there was too much strife and violence, from both sides, to make any progress. There seemed to be a lot of back-and-forth between Indigenous Chiefs and British Governors, making it impossible to establish a civil relationship between the two groups. Additionally, both groups were unable to survive in large numbers, as it is noted that many died due to starvation and disease. This story has been told many times and is arguably one of the most well-known in American history. In hindsight, it is very sad knowing how this story ends because not that many people needed to die for there to just be some peace. But as we look at Richmond now, whiteness and Christianity prevail, and only street names and regions are remnants of the Indigenous tribes that first established this city.