23/54 Project

Based in Pulaski County, VA, the Calfee Community and Cultural Center aims to honor Southwest Virginia parents who have acted bravely in the face of racism and segregation. Inspired by the 23 parents who fearlessly stood up for their children’s educational opportunities, the creation of a traveling exhibit, a community-created quilt, archival research and oral history interviews will ensure the longevity of these courageous community stories. 

Green Pastures

Alleghany County, VA is home to the Green Pastures Recreation Area, also known as the Longdale Day Use Area. This landmark holds significant cultural importance as a recreational haven for African Americans during an era of segregation. To preserve the deep value and sentiment of the recreational area, Green Pastures will unveil an interpretive trail, a staged informational reading and work to preserve the historic picnic shelter at the site of the monument.

Labor in Motion

The Town of Pound, VA is composed of the proud friends and families of coal miners in Appalachia. In partnership with Appalachian voices, Pound hopes to uplift labor narratives and labor histories by erecting an amphitheater and decorative retaining wall at the site of the Church Street landslide and former Peoples Bank of Pound Building. By building these monuments, Labor in Motion strives to create more spaces for community recreation and togetherness.

Raising the Shade

Raising the Shade, located in Rocky Mount, VA, will be dedicated to sharing the overlooked presence of African American soldiers during the Civil War. The Franklin County NAACP has uncovered that at least 70 of these soldiers were born in Franklin County. To shed more light on these stories, Raising the Shade will create a daylong public education and discussion forum which will allow for participants to explore what life was like in Franklin County before, during and after the Civil War. 

Photo credits: Jeff Bartley

Yesáh Community House

The Yesáh Community House will be a modern-day long house which will provide an enriching educational monument dedicated to the Monacan people in Virginia. Located in Monroe, VA, the structure will act as a preserving force for Monacan histories, stories and culture. It will also act as a permanent home for Monacan pow wow events, Monacan art and design and elements of the Siouan language.

Regan Lamkin is an Audit Assistance and Analysis Intern for MAAV. She has the integral job of assisting Dr. Sarah Plummer in the creation and documentation of thousands of monuments across Appalachian Virginia in order to create a Monument Audit.