Black Voices on the Memoryscape of Williamsburg, VA

Scope and content:

In this roundtable interview, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation employees Adam Canaday, Janice Canaday, and Paul Undra Jeter join the Director of Engagement at the Muscarelle Museum and visual artist Steve Prince and discuss the memorialization of African American history in Williamsburg, representation in the arts, local and national resistance to historical truth-telling, and visions for honoring African American ancestors. The Canadays discuss how being descendants of the first Black families of Williamsburg shaped both their careers as interpreters of African American history in CW. They also detail the legacy of Black labor in Williamsburg and express their frustrations with current obstacles to include African American representations in museums. Mr. Prince discusses his role as a visual artist, how he incorporates tragic histories within beautiful images, the power of visual representation, and how the lack of African American representation in public spaces harms the community. The narrators ask each other questions and relate their experiences throughout their discussion since this was the first time the CW employees met Steve Prince and the interviewers. The interview was conducted by undergraduate student Katherine 'Kate' Zabinski and indexed by her classmate Jamie Carkenord on April 20, 2022, at the Colonial Williamsburg Interpreters Office located at 427 Franklin Street in Williamsburg, VA. In the roundtable, Zabinski references the conversations she previously had with other community members who share local history with the roundtable participants. The roundtable interview was completed for an oral history research project in AMST 410: The Williamsburg Documentary Project, taught by Professor Michelle Lelièvre.

This description was taken from the headnote created by the interview team.

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