Meet The Black Woman Reclaiming the Narrative of the Civil War

 

by Chandelis R. Duster 

  

RICHMOND, Va. — On a hot July morning, Christy Coleman recounts the tales of hundreds of slaves who worked at the Tredegar Iron Works, a foundry located along the James River and a national landmark where weapons of the Confederacy were made during the Civil War. As she describes the burning of Richmond, Coleman explains how the ironworks survived and represents a tangible part of American history.

Contemplative, she looks around the 9-acre property. A natural born storyteller, she is animated as she details complexities of Civil War history that took place where she stands.

“History is all around us, we are living in the midst of our history, the question is how do we choose to navigate it?” said Coleman, who became the president of the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar in 2008. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News