An important reframe of who traditionally has received the word 'founder' in regards to American history. It's not enough, but it's a start for sure. What a beautiful piece and place! Thanks for sharing this with us.
It is a beautiful and sacred place. And as Tamara J. Walker says above, it should send a message as well about who we count as founders when we talk about the founding fathers and mothers of our country.
This is really beautiful and not what I expected when I first started reading, although I like the dual meaning of "a spot in the woods" since it refers to both VCCA and this sacred place. I hadn't considered the way calling them "founders" is an attempt at whitewashing, but you're so right since it suggests voluntary work. And yet there's also this way that it acts as an asterisk on the term when the school (and others like it) talks about founders. In the same way it should for our country's founders, too.
It is, indeed, a sacred place, which the plaque also acknowledges. I have a feeling that a lot of thought went into deciding what went on the sign and what went on the plaque. Somehow, I sense that whoever wrote the words for that plaque was searching for a term that seemed right. And that they were also trying to change our understanding of the word. At the same time, I couldn’t help but ponder the last line too: « we are in their debt. » Debt — I was struck by the economic connotations of the word. It is as if we are constantly considering where people fit in an economic scheme, a scheme of ‘ownership.’ I still haven’t thought this all the way through.
I also attended a salon featuring two VCCA artists at Sweet Briar. I was struck by the intelligence of the students in the audience, their heightened sensitivity to social justice. I am sure these students visit the grounds and have become its keepers.
An important reframe of who traditionally has received the word 'founder' in regards to American history. It's not enough, but it's a start for sure. What a beautiful piece and place! Thanks for sharing this with us.
It is a beautiful and sacred place. And as Tamara J. Walker says above, it should send a message as well about who we count as founders when we talk about the founding fathers and mothers of our country.
This is really beautiful and not what I expected when I first started reading, although I like the dual meaning of "a spot in the woods" since it refers to both VCCA and this sacred place. I hadn't considered the way calling them "founders" is an attempt at whitewashing, but you're so right since it suggests voluntary work. And yet there's also this way that it acts as an asterisk on the term when the school (and others like it) talks about founders. In the same way it should for our country's founders, too.
It is, indeed, a sacred place, which the plaque also acknowledges. I have a feeling that a lot of thought went into deciding what went on the sign and what went on the plaque. Somehow, I sense that whoever wrote the words for that plaque was searching for a term that seemed right. And that they were also trying to change our understanding of the word. At the same time, I couldn’t help but ponder the last line too: « we are in their debt. » Debt — I was struck by the economic connotations of the word. It is as if we are constantly considering where people fit in an economic scheme, a scheme of ‘ownership.’ I still haven’t thought this all the way through.
I also attended a salon featuring two VCCA artists at Sweet Briar. I was struck by the intelligence of the students in the audience, their heightened sensitivity to social justice. I am sure these students visit the grounds and have become its keepers.
The "debit" line reminds me of a book, The Debt: What America Owes Black People, by Randall Robinson (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/331800/the-debt-by-randall-robinson/) and also, of course, reparations.