Battle for the City: the Politics of Race 1950-1970

April 4, 2008 - January 31, 2009

The Valentine Richmond History Center takes a candid look at mid-20th century Richmond with Battle for the City: the Politics of Race 1950s-1970s, a new exhibition opening April 4, 2008. With stunning imagery and artifacts, the History Center revisits citywide conflicts over integration, civil rights, urban planning, transportation, and political representation, the outcomes of which affected Richmond’s physical and social landscape.

The 2008 presidential campaign reminds us that America is still wrestling with questions of race and gender. Battle for the City recalls the birth of modern Civil Rights movement in Richmond, with provocative images of downtown riots upon the death of Martin Luther King, the swearing in of Oliver Hill, a sit-in at the Woolworth’s lunch counter, the construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (now Interstate 95), placard-waving demonstrators on Monument Avenue, Richmond residents picketing the U.S. Supreme Court, a Klu Klux Klan meeting, a newly integrated Parker Field, riot police and an integrated City Council.

Tell Me Where You're Marching, Tell Me Where You're Bound

Photography of former slave trade sites by Guest Curator and Photographer Shanna Merola

In its continuing commitment to presenting history through art, the Valentine Richmond History Center presents "Tell Me Where You're Marching, Tell Me Where You're Bound," original photography by Shanna Merola.

While photographing pre-Civil War sites around Richmond, Merola discovered that many of the structures used during the city’s slave trade have been erased from the landscape, with few markers to indicate their historical significance. With a pinhole camera, she captured images of the Manchester Docks, Lumpkin’s Jail, and the Negro Burial Ground or, rather, the asphalt parking lots and empty fields that now cover these landmarks. Merola will exhibit her work alongside related objects from the Valentine Richmond History Center collection.

Serving Richmond, Reaching the World: Greater richmond chapter of the american red cross

With 88 years of service to Richmond, and the nation, the Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross was established in 1917. Founded to assist the needs of the community during World War I, this organization has continued to be a vital part of the Richmond’s service community.

The exhibition will feature uniforms of Red Cross volunteers, including Nurses and Motor Corp volunteers, as well as the clothing worn by volunteers in New York City on September 11, 2001. On exhibition will be uniforms, dolls, posters, photographs, service pins and documents illustrating the rich history of this national organization.

From their work with servicemen and disabled veterans, the Red Cross has grown to include disaster preparedness and recovery, life safety, first aid and community service.

Discovering Collections, Making Connections

Discovering Collections, Making Connections brings together objects and their stories from the Valentine Richmond History Center's three collecting areas - Archives, Costume and Textiles, and General Collections - highlighting different ways of understanding and interpreting their history. Through these objects we open a window to Richmond's past for a better understanding of its present.