STATEWIDE PROGRAMS

In 2018, American Evolution collaborated with WHRO Public Media to offer a digital student contest for 8th to 12th graders who created artistic projects expressing their understanding of the themes of the commemoration – democracy, diversity, and opportunity – and how they relate to their lives today. Judges received submissions as far away as California and Maine. The Grand Prize went to “Shaping Diversity,” a video project about the Norfolk 17 by students from Matthew Fontaine Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia. View the winning video here.

The 2019 Commemoration collaborated with the UVA Center for Politics on two major civics initiatives that lead to a combined state and national audience of nearly 30,000 teachers and their students. The “National Mock Election” and a new digital “First Amendment Wall” brought history to life and created a way for students in middle and high school to interact with the 2019 Commemoration.

Higher education institutions across the Commonwealth created events and special programming aligned with Commemoration themes and/or the historical events of 1619. Higher education partners included Christopher Newport University, George Mason University, James Madison University, Longwood University, University of Virginia, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, University of Lynchburg, University of Richmond, Marymount University, Thomas Nelson Community College, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, Virginia Union University, Virginia Wesleyan University, and William & Mary.

Virginians and Americans were encouraged to remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving as a time for giving thanks, coming together, and taking care of family and neighbors. The campaign commemorated the First Official English Thanksgiving that occurred at Berkeley Hundred on December 4, 1619 and included partnerships with area food banks. The initiative launched on November 3, 2018 when American Evolution teamed up with Virginia Tech and its Athletics Department to announce the campaign during VT’s homecoming football game vs. Boston College. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam addressed the crowd in a pre-game video and shared the untold story about the first English Thanksgiving in North America.

The 1619 Society engaged a younger generation of Virginians in the Commemoration with regional events aligned with the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative and encouraged emerging leaders to engage by identifying region-specific challenges and solutions. Meet-and-greet events featuring keynote speakers convened in Richmond, Fredericksburg, Wise, Danville, and Lynchburg.

The Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast created a special commemorative patch designed to help girls discover Virginia’s unique history and to learn new skills to help shape our future. Girl Scouts throughout Virginia engaged in special activities to receive the patch and participated in commemorative events such as the dedication of Voices from the Garden, the Virginia Women’s Monument on Capitol Square.

The American Evolution “Reflections” Photo Contest took place from October 17, 2019 to January 5, 2020, and offered a $3,000 prize to each winner in three categories: professional, organization, and amateur. The goals of the submissions included the collection of photographs and their background stories to document the important and historic impact of the 2019 Commemorative year, sharing of real-life images of participants engaging in the 2019 Commemoration events and initiatives, and expressions of what the 2019 Commemoration and its themes of democracy, diversity, and opportunity meant to individuals.