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Richmond mayor announces investment in slave memorial campus in city's former slave-trading district

Posted at 1:07 PM, Jul 28, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-28 13:07:42-04

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Officials in Richmond have announced a major funding commitment for an ambitious and long-envisioned memorial campus in the city's former slave-trading district, Shockoe Bottom.

Mayor Levar Stoney, other officials and activists held a news conference Tuesday to outline plans for a memorial campus composed of a museum and a park for reflection.

The city has committed $3.5 million in funding right away.

Stoney said he will propose a capital improvement budget amendment of between $25 million and $50 million that if approved would fund the effort over a series of years.

By some estimates, more 300,000 enslaved people were bought and sold in the Bottom.