RICHMOND, Va. -- Saturday marked the start of a year-long celebration to commemorate 150 years of Jackson Ward, Richmond's historic neighborhood once dubbed the "Harlem of the South."
The first Illuminating Legacies: Giles B. Jackson Day took place Saturday in Jackson Ward.
Members of the Jackson family, which were present for the special moment, said their family name is one built on a legacy, one they hope to see continue in the generations to come.
“We have to continue to make sure that all our children, no matter what neighborhood or legacy, and that we continue to pave the way for them so they can achieve,” William Carter IV, great-great-grandson of Giles B. Jackson, said. “So that their legacy in Richmond, Virginia, means as much as to them means that much to me.”
Richmond City Hall officially declared April 17 as Giles B. Jackson Day.
The historically African American district in the River City was listed as a National Historic Landmark 43 years ago in 1978.
Click here to learn more about the commemorative at the TheJXNProject.com.
