"Illuminating Legacies" Reveals Fuller Histories in Richmond's Jackson Ward on April 17th
JOIN US ON SATURDAY, APRIL 17 FOR ILLUMINATING LEGACIES: GILES B. JACKSON DAY
The JXN Project will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Jackson Ward with "Illuminating Legacies: Giles B. Jackson Day" on April 17, 2021 from 6pm to 10pm. The City of Richmond has now declared Saturday, April 17th as Giles B. Jackson Day. Born enslaved in 1853, Giles Beecher Jackson worked to become the first Black attorney certified to practice law before the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and operated several law offices including one in Jackson Ward. The sixth ward would become the nation's first registered historic Black urban neighborhood also affectionately termed "Little Africa," "Harlem of the South," and "Black Wall Street."
The April 17th celebration will consist of a series of socially distanced outdoor activations across Jackson Ward, including tours, food trucks, art activities, curated playlists, and over a dozen live projections that will reveal the ward’s origin story through restorative truth-telling and redemptive storytelling.
The historian-led trolleys will include Ride The Ward with Gary Flowers of The Gary Flowers Show, The Black Church with Benjamin Ross of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, Maggie L. Walker and Elizabeth Van Lew with Omilade Janine Bell of Elegba Folklore Society, and Sacred Ground with Ana Edwards of the American Civil War Museum. The tuk tuks will operate on a first-come, first-serve basis for registered attendees.
Location: 3rd Street Side of the Greater Richmond Convention Center [Pre-Registered Attendees Only]
Address: 403 N 3rd Street
Date: April 17, 2021
Time: 6pm-10pm
Where: Historic Jackson Ward District
PLEASE NOTE | Pre-registration for this event has sold out; however, community members who did not pre-register can still engage in the anniversary celebration by supporting Black-owned businesses across the Historic Jackson Ward District throughout the day and viewing the illumination show via personal vehicle, bike, or on foot from 9pm to 10pm, which will span the historical footprint of Jackson Ward.
"Sounds from the Sixth" is an immersive experience curated by Richmond's illest DJs - DJ Ease, DJ Lonnie B, DJ Rayvon, DJ Nobe and Mikemetic with a voiceover by Todd Waldo. Listen to the soundtrack to Jackson Ward’s history here.
For more information including the route for the illumination show, visit www.thejxnproject.com and follow @thejxnproject for the latest updates.