As part of the weeklong celebration of Liberation and Freedom Day taking place during the first week of March, the Nau Center and Small Special Collections Library will co-host an event in the library’s auditorium on Monday, March 2, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM. Professor Ervin Jordan, archivist and one of the Center's affiliated faculty, will highlight the library’s collections relevant to the Union occupation of Charlottesville and the start of the emancipation of the city’s enslaved citizens on March 3, 1865. The Center’s William Kurtz will talk about our ongoing research project Black Virginians in Blue as well as portions of the Nau Collection relevant to the history of emancipation and black military service during the war. There will be a short Q&A after our speakers are done.
During and after the event, items from the Small Special Collections Library and its new John L. Nau III Civil War History collection will be on display to the general public for the first time since having been donated by Mr. Nau in 2019. The event will be a great opportunity for UVA students and the general public to learn more about the ongoing study of local Civil War history by UVA historians and the Nau Center.
The event is free and open to the public and no advance registration is required. Paid parking is available nearby at the Central Grounds Parking Garage located near the UVA bookstore.
A full list of all of the events scheduled for the celebration of Freedom and Liberation Day can be found at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center's website.