UNVEILING THE VANGUARD

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EVENT OVERVIEW 

The JXN Project will culminate its celebration of the 150th anniversary of Jackson Ward with "Unveiling The Vanguard: A Virtual Experience" as part of the Second Street Festival.  Beginning on October 2, 2021, community members are invited to experience the unveiling as we introduce each of the honorary street designees via our social media platforms [@TheJXNProject] and|or engage in a self-guided and socially distanced tour of the honorary street signs either via personal vehicle, bicycle, or on foot. Community members are also invited to visit the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site and|or Venture Richmond or the Historic Jackson Ward Association's tents at the festival to obtain a free commemorative poster of the vanguard.

HASHTAGS

#TheJXNProject #JXNWard150 #UnveilingTheVanguard #TwoStreet   

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The JXN Project would like to give a special thank you to Venture Richmond, Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, Commonwealth of Virginia [Department of Historic Resources], Virginia Legislative Black Caucus [Chair Bagby, Vice Chair McClellan, and Members Bourne and Torian], Richmond City Council [Council President Newbille, Council Vice President Robert, and Council Members Addison, Jordan, Lambert, and Jones], City of Richmond [Department of Public Works, Public Art Commission, Planning Commission, Urban Design Committee], Big Secret, Korman Signs, Keith Fabry, Mosca Design, and Walk The Ward with Gary Flowers. Also, thank you to a long list of project sponsors such as Richmond Times-Dispatch, Initiatives of Change, The Valentine Museum, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, BLK RVA, and VPM, as well as community partners such as the Historic Jackson Ward Association, Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Jackson Ward Collective, Richmond Black Restaurant Experience, Library of Virginia, and Richmond Public Library — alongside our support staff to include the Afrikana Ambassadors. Also, the project would be remiss not to thank the many descendants, direct loves ones, and|or community organizations who supported the unveiling, as well as the news outlets, photographers, and videographers who helped to capture the unveiling.⁣ In addition to its creators, Enjoli Moon and Sesha Joi Moon, The JXN Project is supported by a project team who deserves honorable mention — to include Meredith Carrington, Nigel Richardson, Marc Holland, Morgan Dye, Todd Waldo, Michon Moon, Jonah Hodari, Barry O'Keefe, Dennis Winston, S. Ross Browne, David Riley, Amanda Barnes, Joey Tran, Keshia Eugene, and LeMore Printing.  

GILES B. JACKSON DAY DONATION

On September 10, 2021, in honor of Giles. B. Jackson's birthday and as part of its year-long sesquicentennial celebration of Jackson Ward, The JXN Project partnered with Give Black Richmond to pledge a one-time philanthropic donation of $50,000 to support local institutions and|or initiatives that are rooted in and|or have a direct impact across the historic and|or historical footprint of Jackson Ward — to include the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Historic Jackson Ward Association, Virginia Union University, Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, Armstrong-Walker Classic, Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Greater Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Hood Temple AME Zion Church, First African Baptist Church, Mocha Temple No 7 Shrine Club, Friends Association for Children, Astoria Beneficial Club, Theban Beneficial Club, Virginia State Conference NAACP, Urban League of Greater Richmond, Richmond Crusade for Voters, Elegba Folklore Society, Walk The Ward with Gary Flowers, George W. Carver Elementary School, Richmond Alternative School, Gilpin Community Center, Drums No Guns, Community 50-50, Jackson Ward Youth Peace Team, St. Lukes Legacy Center, Heaven Sent Day Care, Girls For A Change, Nolef Turns, Richmond Free Press, Jackson Ward Collective, Richmond Black Restaurant Experience, Engine Company No. 9 Community Mural Project, The Conciliation Project, Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, Descendants Council, Untold RVA, Friends of East End Cemetery, Resiliency Garden Initiative, Black Pride RVA, Side By Side, BareSoul Yoga, ART 180, CodeRVA Regional High School, Richmond Planet Plate, and Liberated Flow.

We all stand on the shoulders of many notable Jackson Wardians and while the list of giants who helped future generations to see further is vast, The JXN Project hopes that the set of honorary designees for "Unveiling The Vanguard" is a representative sample of the rested and readied shoulders whose stories are often overlooked and under-told. While only a few could be chosen to receive honorary street designations, the project endeavors to curate an installation to pay homage to the many others who were called to leave a mark on Jackson Ward and we invite you to share the names of other shoulders, to include both individuals and|or institutions, that should be included in this installation during a 30-day public comment period, which will conclude on November 2, 2021.

To learn more about each honorary designee,  please click each of the below photos, which are digitized woodcuts by Barry O'Keefe, and|or join us online for "The Rested and Readied" on Wednesday, September 15 at 7pm as the final installment of The JXN Project Summer Lecture Series with the Library of Virginia and Richmond Public Library — which will serve as a precursor to this year's Afrikana Independent Film Festival.