Getting Word Oral History Project
Learn more about the Monticello enslaved community and their descendants.
Video Gallery
Monticello historians and descendants of the enslaved Monticello Community reflect on Jefferson, his ideas on education, the struggles of their ancestors, and their hopes for the future.
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Monticello historian John Ragosta discusses the role of education in a self-governing populace.
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"Education is the last battle" - Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, speaks about educational inequality and the critical role education plays in the United States during her acceptance speech as the recipient of the 2013 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership.
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Gayle Jessup White, descendant of both Thomas Jefferson and multiple members of the Monticello enslaved community, and Monticello's Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer, discusses the Hubbard family and how they navigated the landscape of enslavement.
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Peter Peterson, former United States Secretary of Commerce, discusses the significance of education in his early life as the son of Greek immigrants.
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Andrew Davenport, descendant of the Hemings Family and Public Historian and Manager of the Getting Word Project at Monticello, discusses informal education practices among the enslaved community.
Continue Learning
Thomas Jefferson and the University of Virginia
Read more about the founding of the University of Virginia and Jefferson's last great public service.