"We are determined to be people."
-Martin Luther King, Jr. from the speech, I've Been to the Mountaintop, delivered on April 3, 1968 at Mason Temple, Memphis, Tennessee
In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in British North America, Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality examined the long history of black Americans as they have fought for freedom, equal justice, and access to opportunities. Their actions have pushed our nation ever closer to its ideal of universal equality.
Through profiles of 30 individuals, more than 100 evocative objects, and multimedia interpretive content, Determined explored:
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the black experience in Virginia from 1619 to 2020;
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the pivotal role black Americans have played in shaping America’s national identity and culture; and
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the key Virginians and Virginia events that have defined the meaning of American democracy, equality, and justice.
