Description:
Let’s Keep Talking!
ACTOR (A Continuing Talk on Race)
Our next A Continuing Talk on Race (A.C.T.O.R.) discussion will take us closer to home as we explore the Black history of Arlington County and consider why understanding our local history is essential to understanding our community today./p>
History is never just about the past. The policies we create, the neighborhoods we preserve, the stories we tell, and even what we choose to remember—or forget—shape how we see one another and how we make decisions about our future.
This month, we're honored to welcome Wilma Jones, an award-winning civic activist, fourth-generation Arlington resident, and local historian who has spent more than two decades uncovering Arlington's overlooked Black history. Through hundreds of archival discoveries, community interviews, and neighborhood tours, Wilma has documented the remarkable achievements, resilience, and leadership of Arlington's Black communities—stories that too often have been left out of the public narrative./p>
Our conversation will center on Wilma's newest article, "Freedman's Village: America's First Planned Black Community." We'll explore how a Civil War-era community, established on the grounds of the former Arlington plantation, became the foundation for generations of African American community building in Arlington. Together, we'll examine what Freedman's Village teaches us about community, public policy, displacement, resilience, and the enduring power of institutions built by ordinary people determined to create better lives for future generations./p>
---
A.C.T.O.R. (A Continuing Talk on Race) is a public discussion series. It provides the opportunity for people to come together and speak openly and honestly about issues of race, class and culture. The intent is that each person walks away from the discussion feeling something: challenged, educated, uncomfortable, enlightened, refreshed, reassured and hopefully inspired and moved to action!
On the last Sunday of each month, there is a new topic for discussion
