May 15, 2023: Enslaved and free descendant family members of Arlington House plantation gathered for our first face-to-face reunion April 21-23, 2023.  Friday was a meet & greet dinner, Saturday was a public program at the Arlington House, and Sunday was a continental breakfast and a planning session.  It was an exciting, uplifting weekend with more than 100 descendants registered to attend.  Most of the 200 chairs at the public event were filled.  We read the names of everyone we are aware of who lived and worked on the plantation.  Seven descendants from different surname families and the National Park Service signed a letter of commitment indicating that NPS will work closely with the descendant community to bring clarity and inclusion to the exhibit spaces. The local U.S. Congressman spoke about plans to reintroduce the legislation that will redesignate the Lee Memorial as a National Historic Site.  The Creative Arts Ministry Choir from Mount Zion Baptist Church in Arlington, VA provided fantastic musical accompaniment.  There was excellent media coverage and we recorded the event for a future documentary project.  Debbie Elliott of NPR produce a wonderful a story aired the following Monday during Morning Edition which reach their 14 million listeners. And WGBH Boston, Washington Post and NBC4 in DC ran wonderful stories.  Thanks to everyone who made this event a success.

With all that said, we are energized to continue our work to redesignate the Lee Memorial as a National Historic Site.  Our BIG goal is at least 5,000 signatures with 1,750 from the DMV and 50 or more signatures from every other state across the country.  We want to illustrate to elected officials that this is a nationwide initiative.  ITHANK YOU for signing the petition!  We still need your help. Please pass the word and ask others to sign on and join this effort. With a little help we can get to 5,000 and beyond.