Dear SHA Members and Colleagues,
I am sure many of you are aware of the unfortunate situation at Montpelier. Last month, the Montpelier Foundation Board voted to reverse its decision to share power with the Montpelier Descendant Committee (MDC). The MDC is the official organization of descendants of Montpelier’s enslaved community. Instead, the Board has adopted a policy that provides them the power to determine who qualifies as a descendant and who will work alongside of them. Subsequently, some of the Montpelier staff spoke up against this injustice and were intimidated before being terminated or suspended from their positions.
On April 4th, we sent a letter to the CEO and Board Chair of the Montpelier Foundation voicing our dismay and disagreement with limiting participation and decision making by the MDC and their lack of support for their archaeological staff. Earlier this week, we learned of the firing and suspension of Montpelier staff in an act of retaliation by the Foundation. Today, we sent a letter to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Montpelier landowner, condemning the behavior of the Montpelier Foundation, and urging them to reclaim their property to right these wrongs. You may find today's letter at the bottom of this email. The first letter to The Montpelier Foundation will be sent in a separate email.
As we have stated in our letters and social media posts, we are an antiracist society, and these acts cannot be tolerated. I have been moved by your words of support and kindness to your colleagues, Matt, Mary, Chris, and Elizabeth on social media. I know many of you have also reached out to them privately. Thank you for your continued encouragement of our friends as they move through this challenging time. They are leading us all.
If you would like to send letters calling for structural parity with the MDC please send emails to support@montpelier.org. You may also email the National Trust for Historic Preservation (landowner of Montpelier): Katherine Malone-France KMalone-France@savingplaces.org, Tom Mayes TMayes@savingplaces.org, and Paul Edmondson PEdmondson@savingplaces.org. If you are willing to make your email/letter public, please copy Greg Werkheiser with Cultural Heritage Partners greg@culturalheritagepartners.com.
As we continue to monitor this situation, I would also like to encourage our members to consider ways our discipline can address the lack of control over heritage resources by African American communities. In other words, how can we encourage and lead these privately owned historic sites towards equity in property management and civic engagement?
Thank you,
Julie Schablitsky, PhD
President, Society for Historical Archaeology