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Liberation and Freedom Day, celebrated each March 3, commemorates the emancipation of the 14,000 men, women, and children who were enslaved in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

On Friday, March 5, Gayle Jessup White, Monticello’s Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer, joined Calvin Jefferson, descendant of Monticello’s enslaved community, and local historian Sam Towler discussed the conditions at Monticello during the American Civil War, emancipation, and the stories of those freed from bondage. 

This livestream was made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.