WILLIAMSBURG — The African American Heritage Trail Advisory Committee, in partnership with the City of Williamsburg, is inviting the public to offer comments on the Williamsburg African American Heritage Trail’s draft narrative.
A draft of the narrative is available to read at williamsburgva.gov/heritagetrail, where the public can also find the survey that asks for feedback on the draft.
The survey closes Friday, Nov. 15.
The advisory committee, composed of community members and city staff, will host a community meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Stryker Center, 412 N. Boundary St., to review the final version of the narrative, provide the results of the survey, and discuss the next steps for the trail.
In May 2024, the Advisory Committee selected JMI, a marketing and communications firm, to develop the narrative for the African American Heritage Trail. Since then, JMI collected more than 50 personal stories from Williamsburg residents through its platform, facilitated community conversations, and connected with local historians and researchers to craft the narrative.
An African American Heritage Trail has been included in the city’s Goals, Initiatives, and Outcomes (GIOs), a document that outlines the City’s work plan, since 2020.
In January, the federal government passed legislation that includes $357,000 for Phase 1 of the city’s African American Heritage Trail. Phase 1 includes the construction of the trailhead at Lafayette Street, a public restroom, and the first segment of the trail from Lafayette Street to Scotland Street.
The City of Williamsburg gathered community input on the content of the planned African American Heritage Trail through two sessions in early March.
During those sessions, city staff asked attendees to identify stories and sites the Williamsburg community would like to highlight on the trail, which aims to tell the stories of African Americans in Williamsburg throughout the city’s long history.
More information on the project can be found at williamsburgva.gov/heritagetrail.
