Media Alert
September 15, 2022
Taylor Fuqua, Manager of PR & Marketing; tfuqua@VirginiaHistory.org; 804.342.9661

RICHMOND, Va.– The Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) invites guests to attend a special live recording of the Radio IQ Podcast Memory Wars. Memory Wars is a six-part series hosted by public radio reporter Mallory Noe-Payne and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Michael Paul Williams that discusses how Germany has made strides to confront its horrific past and whether America could ever do the same.

“The conversations Mallory & Michael are having in the Memory Wars podcast are the type of discussions that need to be shared with every community,” Joseph Rogers, the Manager of Partnerships and Community Engagement at the VMHC said in a statement. “These conversations are necessary especially when it comes to addressing uncomfortable truths and sometimes painful histories in order to heal, make impactful changes, and initiate unity.”

Following the discussion, guests will have the opportunity to tour The Lost Cause: Myths, Monuments, & Murals with Joseph Rogers and Dr. Chris Graham, Curator of Exhibitions at the American Civil War Museum, and guest contributor to the [VMHC] exhibition. The exhibition explores the history of the Lost Cause, a widespread effort by former Confederates well after the Civil War to glorify and memorialize the Confederacy, through a cycle of military murals and a sculpture of Robert E. Lee, which was previously on view at the U.S. Capitol. The content offered in this gallery provides insight into the intentions and values of the people who used large-scale art to influence public perception and attitudes surrounding the war. Guests will also have an opportunity for continued conversation in the VMHC’s brand new Museum Café.

The event will take place at 6:00 pm on Thursday, September 29th at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Admission is free, but registration is required.

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The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society — a private, non-profit organization established in 1831. The historical society is the oldest cultural organization in Virginia, and one of the oldest and most distinguished history organizations in the nation. For use in its state history museum and its renowned research library, the historical society cares for a collection of nearly nine million items representing the ever-evolving story of Virginia.