Much in Demand: 200 Years of Central Virginia African American Military Service

Collectors have completed work on the Legacy Museum's next exhibit, which will deal with Central Virginia African Americans who have served in the military. The exhibit will open on Saturday, June 20, 2009, as part of Lynchburg's Juneteenth celebration.

Entitled Much in Demand: 200 Years of Central Virginia African American Military Service, the exhibit will trace ways the status of African Americans in the larger society shaped their experiences in the military. Dianne Swann-Wright, director and founding curator of the Frederick Douglas - Isaac Myers Maritime Park in Baltimore, is guest curator.

The exhibit will explore the following themes:

• Central Virginia's African Americans, like people of African descent living elsewhere, fought in military conflicts dating back to the American Revolution.



• African Americans fought racial discrimination in the military while fighting for the principles of liberty and democracy.



• Military service changed the lives of African Americans living in Central Virginia in significant ways.



• Military service expanded Central Virginia's African American military men and women's social and economic horizons.



• Central Virginia's African American men and women had successful experiences in the military, bringing honor to themselves, their families, and communities.