RICHMOND, Va. -- A series at Richmond's American Civil War Museum honors Black History and Women’s History months.
"There is so much more to the Civil War," American Civil War Museum Education Programs Manager Joseph Rogers said. "We don’t get to talk about it nearly enough, so I’m glad that we’re able to do that with programs like the Peake series."
The series is named in honor of Mary Smith Peake, a free woman of color from the Tidewater area who was educated in Washington before anti-literacy laws. She taught formally enslaved Africans in secret.
"There were people who insisted that education was the key to improving their lives -- and we still believe that today," Rogers said.
And while the series is named after Peake, it honors others who were brave enough to do the work. It is also filled with history about the colored
troops soldiers, the first soldiers to enter Richmond after the fall in 1865, and the Confederate battle flag.
“But then also what did African Americans do after the war," Rogers said. "How they were able to enter the state legislature continuing to fight and struggle for the 13, 14 and 15th Amendments during Reconstruction. What resistances they encountered and how they continued to persevere after that," Rogers said.
The program is geared toward students and teachers but is also for lifelong learners.
The virtual series is every Wednesday at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the museum’s website or you can catch the video after.
You can also visit the American Civil War Museum at Tredegar, the White House of the Confederacy Downtown, or at Appomattox. For more information, visit https://acwm.org/
