Prof. Hasan Kwame Jeffries spoke at a recent gathering at Montpelier to kick off its new $5.8 million grant funded project. The project, funded by the Mellon Foundation, involves the building of a monument to memorialize the enslaved ancestors who once worked at Montpelier. Prof. Jeffries is Chair of the Montpelier Board as well as a descendant.  

He says, "When you understand the role of the enslaved in American history, it changes American history. It changes our understanding of the past. Not only the points of celebration and the moments of triumph, but also the terrible tragedies."

View video from the event.