2022 US Trip – Day 9 (Virginia Civil Rights Memorial)

This memorial is located on the grounds of the state Capitol, having been unveiled here in July 2008. The memorial was designed by Stanley Bleifeld (1924-2011) and cost $2.8 million which was funded by public subscription.

The memorial is beautifully designed and has eighteen different leaders or participants from the civil rights movement. Certainly very eye-catching and there are a couple of quotes on it, including this “it seemed like reaching for the moon”, from the civil rights leader Barbara Rose Johns (1935–1991).

And the Virginia Executive Mansion in the background. There’s more about the project at http://vacivilrightsmemorial.org/, although that site hasn’t been updated for some time and indeed before they had completed the fundraising.