Virginia Public Media

When the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, the Founders – many of whom were slaveholders – declared: “all men are created equal.” As their aspirational words and ideals of freedom were signed into existence and spread throughout the colonies, Black people recognized that these ideas included them. DECLARATIONS: BLACK AMERICANS AND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR examines how they fought for these tenets of democracy for themselves, their families, and their communities. The film features insights from historians and scholars including Leslie Alexander, Danielle Allen, Edward Ayers, Christopher L. Brown, Woody Holton, and others.

Since 2005, the Richmond Folk Festival has drawn thousands of attendees from across the country to Richmond, Virginia to celebrate the variety of American culture through the arts. Learn what it took to create this signature annual event, and how the city has embraced it as its own.