“We the People, a Summer Celebration” Honors America’s Invisible History at President James Madison’s Montpelier

MONTPELIER STATION, Va., July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Today, The Montpelier Foundation (TMF) and Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC) announced We the People: a Summer Celebration. Taking place on Saturday, August 5, 2023, from 9:30 am-3:30 pm. This free, family-friendly community event kicks off a multi-year memorialization project honoring American history and the formerly enslaved communityauthor at James Madison’s Montpelier. Renowned community leaders, historians, and artists will host activities, including panel discussions, a libation ceremony, and experiential arts, archeological, and cultural exhibits.

“Montpelier is a place where everyone can come and see their history on display,” said Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Board Chair of TMF, and Rev. Larry Walker Sr., President of MDC, respectively. “At a time when America is divided, our historic partnership will recognize President James Madison, ‘Father of the US Constitution,’ and our other Founding Fathers— known and invisible—to create a more perfect union grounded in legacy and equity. Our celebration will educate and engage people of all ages and backgrounds.”

WHAT
We the People: a Summer Celebration

WHO

• Dr. Michael Blakey, National Endowment for the Humanities Professor, Anthropology & American Studies at William & Mary
• Dr. Michael Higginbotham, Dean of the University of Baltimore Law School
• Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University and Board Chair of TMF
• Rev. Larry Walker Sr., Deputy Pastor of Celebration Church; Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives for Governor Wes Moore and President of MDC
• Elon Cook Lee, Director of Interpretation & Education, National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Dr. Bettye Kearse, Author of The Other Madisons
• Mayor Sharon Pratt, former Mayor of the District of Columbia
• Dr. Gregory Dolin, Associate Professor of Law, University of Baltimore
• Darrell Rose, Percussionist, painter, and Artist in Residence for the Virginia Commission for the Arts
• Dr. Iris Ford, Associate Professor Emerita of Anthropology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
• Omar Eaton-Martinez, Senior Vice President for Historic Sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation
• L. Renée, Poet and Assistant Director, Furious Flower Poetry Center at James Madison University

WHEN
Saturday, August 5, 2023, from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm ET

WHERE
James Madison’s Montpelier: 11350 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station, VA 22957

More details can be found here.

About The Montpelier Foundation
Montpelier is the lifelong home of James Madison, Father of the Constitution, Architect of the Bill of Rights, and fourth President of the United States. As a monument to James Madison and the Enslaved Community, a museum of American history, and a center for constitutional education, Montpelier engages the public with the enduring legacy of Madison’s most powerful idea: government by the people. The historic home and 2,700-acre grounds are open to visitors and student groups throughout the year, and the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier offers world-class residential and online educational programs. Montpelier is administered by The Montpelier Foundation and is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site. To learn more, visit www.montpelier.org.

About Montpelier Descendants Committee
The Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC) is the first independent, descendant-led organization to establish itself as an equal co-steward of a major historic site in America. The MDC is devoted to restoring the narratives of enslaved Americans at plantation sites in Central Virginia, including but not limited to James Madison’s Montpelier, from the margins to the center of historical discourse. www.Montpelierdescendants.org. 

About The Memorialization Project
The Montpelier Foundation (TMF) and Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC) have embarked on a historic partnership to be co-equal stewards of former President James Madison’s estate. On March 13, 2023, they were awarded nearly $5.8 million by the Mellon Foundation to fund the construction of a memorial to enslaved people at Montpelier, the lifelong home of James Madison, fourth president of the United States. Mellon is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. The grant is part of Mellon’s “Monuments Project” initiative, an unprecedented $250 million commitment to transform the nation’s commemorative landscape by supporting public projects that more completely and accurately represent American history, including the stories of those who have often been denied historical recognition. 

SOURCE The Montpelier Foundation (TMF); Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC)