Slave sale block set to be displayed in museum, with context

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — A 176-year-old stone block used for slave auctions in Virginia will soon be displayed at a museum, with signs added to explain the context of recent protests against racial injustice that left it covered in graffiti.

The Free Lance-Star reports that the block removed from downtown Fredericksburg is set to be loaned to the Area Museum in October. The marker will be displayed there by mid-November, with graffiti still intact.

The museum’s president said the block will have signage explaining “the tone of the graffiti.”

The city removed the 800-pound marker in June after months of delays amid lawsuits and the pandemic.

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