CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A proposal to install a historical marker recognizing Charlottesville's history of slavery is drawing debate over whether historical evidence supports the location of a former auction block.
The group behind the proposal says the city's history deserves to be remembered and that recognizing the past is important to the community.
"Why do we go to a cemetery? Why do we think of our elders? Our great-grandparents? Why do we think about where we came from? What happened here is immensely important, no matter what your racial or ethnic background is, to the history of our town," supporter Richard Allan said.
However, the Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee has raised questions about whether there is sufficient evidence to confirm that a dedicated auction block once stood at the proposed site.
The committee says the claim is based on secondhand accounts from a 1942 book and that no firsthand historical accounts have been found confirming the auction block's existence at that location.
Charlottesville City Council is expected to consider a resolution concerning the proposed marker at its Oct. 19 meeting.
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