RICHMOND, Va – City leaders and the Shockoe Institute held a ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday, highlighting the significance of the project and sharing plans for an augmented reality experience.
The Shockoe Institute is a planned 12,000-square-foot educational facility at Richmond’s historic Main Street Station, focusing on the history of enslavement and the slave trade across the country. Shockoe was an epicenter of the American slave trade, according to the organization.
The ceremony took place on the anniversary of Richmond’s Emancipation Day when, in 1865, the city surrendered to Union forces and enslaved Richmonders were freed.
"160 years ago, this very moment, freedom was given to Richmond," said Marland Buckner, president and CEO of the Shockoe Institute. "It's essential that everyone in the country realize that they have an investment in this place.”
Mayor Danny Avula, former Mayor Levar Stoney, and city council members participated in the ceremony. Guests commemorated the groundbreaking by signing a ceremonial steel beam.
“These are all of our stories,” Buckner said. “This history is shared. We have nothing to fear from understanding that these are our shared stories.”
An immersive experience will use augmented reality glasses to offer a journey through history.
"It's the stories, the history, the data, the evidence, the facts, and the power of the narrative of the human beings whose legacy we seek to uplift that will give visitors the transcendent moment that we hope for in the Institute," Buckner said.
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