Thread by @JemarTisby

🚨🚨🚨I’m thrilled to release today a new mini docu-series about the power of symbols, memory, and story through an exploration of Monument Ave. in Richmond, VA.

New episodes drop every day, so be sure to check back for more.

Here’s the first one. Let me know what you think!

In part 2 of this mini docuseries we look at the Robert E. Lee monument and how such statues helped create a narrative of white supremacy in the Jim Crow era.
#History #CivilWar #Monuments

Monuments matter because they are symbols. Symbols matter because symbols tell stories. Stories matter because stories make us who we are.

Part 3 of this mini docuseries tackles why we must remove Confederate monuments.
#History #CivilWar #Justice

We must not only take down Confederate monuments, we must also envision what can take their place. Artist Kehinde Wiley helps us do just that by reimagining a classic art form.

Check out part 4 of this series on Monument Ave.
#History #CivilWar #Justice

Who we create monuments for and how are they embodied informs who we think is important and what kinds of people we consider examples.

Learn more in Part 5 of this mini docuseries.

Arthur Ashe was a legendary tennis player, and a son of Richmond, VA. But how do you honor Ashe, a Black man, in a place that dedicated monuments to those who would have enslaved him?
Part 6 of the mini docuseries out today!
#History #CivilWar #Tennis

After a long and hard-fought battle by local people in Richmond, the statues of slaveholders and white supremacists on Monument Ave. came down. The one dedicated to Arthur Ashe—a Black man—remains. Check out our final episode. #History #CivilWar #Virginia