Williamsburg council hears draft African American Heritage Trail narrative; committee outlines first segment and community input

Williamsburg City Council on Monday heard a presentation of the draft narrative for the African American Heritage Trail, a federally funded project that the advisory committee and consultant team said will run a little more than two miles through downtown and include a trailhead, public restroom and space for a community memorial.

The narrative, developed by an advisory committee with consultant James Warren and firm JMI/Share More Stories, organizes hundreds of historical sources and more than 50 first-person recollections into three overarching themes—faith, education and community—to guide interpretation, the team said. The first physical trail segment identified is from Lafayette Street to Scotland Street on city and housing-authority property; funding for the initial construction phase was provided by a congressional earmark secured in January 2023.

The advisory committee described a community-driven process of public input and archival research that produced a draft narrative the team released for comment. “The African American experience in Williamsburg is one of enduring resiliency and soul-fed joy rooted in faith, achievement, and a rich cultural heritage,” James Warren said while reading the narrative’s opening language. Warren said the team solicited community stories, vetted secondary sources and adjusted the draft after multiple public meetings and written feedback.

Janice Canaday, an advisory committee member who identified herself as the African American community engagement manager at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and vice chair of the board at First Baptist Church, said committee work sought to bring forward stories that had been overlooked. “It is probably one of the greatest honors to stand here and know that the city, wants to... to highlight people who have been erased,” she said.

Council members praised the work and its emphasis on lived experience. One council member said the narrative was easy to read and that it tied together personal recollections and historical material in a way that will allow residents and visitors to “see themselves in this story.” Council members and committee members emphasized that the narrative is a phase in an ongoing process: the advisory committee will next identify specific stops, finalize wording for signage and develop audio and digital formats.

Project details provided during the presentation included the trail length (described as “a little more than 2 miles”), the first trail segment (Lafayette Street to Scotland Street on city and housing-authority property), the inclusion of a trailhead with restroom and community memorial space, and the source of initial construction funding (a congressional earmark awarded in January 2023). The committee reported receiving “well over 50, if not 60” individual personal stories submitted by residents and descendants that are woven into the draft narrative.

Speakers repeatedly framed the work as part of a broader effort to tell a fuller history of Williamsburg and to create interpretive material that future students and historians can trace back to cited sources. Warren said the team worked to ensure historical sources were “appropriately cited and referenced” so the narrative contributes to the historical record.

No formal council vote on the narrative was recorded during the presentation. Council members said they support moving forward and signaled they intend to consider the narrative further at upcoming meetings; one member said they were “excited to support it on Thursday.”

Votes at a glance: the council later convened a closed session under the Code of Virginia and returned with certification votes and an adjournment vote. A motion to go into closed session under Va. Code § 2.2-3711 (consultation with legal counsel regarding probable litigation and contract matters) was moved and seconded and carried on a roll-call vote (ayes recorded for Mr. Rogers, Ms. Ramsey, Mayor Ponds, Vice Mayor Dent and Ms. Kerns). After returning to open session, the council approved a certification of the closed session under Va. Code § 2.2-3712 (roll-call ayes recorded for Mr. Rogers, Ms. Ramsey, Mayor Ponds, Vice Mayor Dent and Ms. Kerns). A motion to adjourn passed on recorded ayes.

The advisory committee and consultant said the next formal steps are to finalize the list of trail stops and the text for markers and digital content, then move into construction of the trailhead and first segment using the earmarked federal funds. The council and committee members emphasized the narrative is intended as a beginning rather than a finished product and invited additional community input as specific markers and interpretive materials are developed.