“Erasing the Black Spot“ from WHRO on Vimeo.
As we first noted here, Hampton University and WHRO recently produced a live program on “Erasing the Black Spot – How Virginia Universities Have Disrupted Black Neighborhoods.” We couldn’t make it in person, but watched the live-stream.
Now, as we hoped, the recorded program has been published. Stream it above, or watch here on Vimeo. Here’s the description:
Virginia’s public universities have a long history of expanding campuses in the name of progress and economic growth. But often, these expansions used eminent domain and property seizures to disrupt and diminish thriving Black communities across the state.
An investigative series by The Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO and ProPublica uncovers the damaging social and economic impacts on Black communities of college expansions at Christopher Newport University, Old Dominion, and the flagship University of Virginia.
In the second half of the 20th century, the rapid growth of public universities across Virginia uprooted hundreds of Black families, hindering them from accumulating wealth in the most American way — homeownership.
In a new panel discussion, VCIJ at WHRO journalists share their findings and stories from the residents who were displaced.
Well worth your time.