In a sun-dappled, green cathedral of towering oaks, sycamores and hollies, around 400 people gathered on Oct. 4 to honor the men, women and children that George and Martha Washington enslaved on their 18th century Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon. From 1754 to 1799, the Washingtons enslaved at least 577 people.

Welcoming the attendees, Ann Petri, the Mount Vernon Ladies Association regent from Wisconsin, pointed out that George Washington, who led a revolution for the colonies’ freedom and independence, wrote that slavery was his “only unavoidable subject of regret.”

Dr. Doug Bradburn, Mount Vernon’s Chief Executive Officer and President, said that enslaved people’s stories “sometimes were only dimly visible” and that “the past like the present is messy.”  He committed to “telling a more complete story,” adding, “We are not afraid to tell the truth. African American history is American history.”  

“They made George Washington’s life possible,” he continued, referring to the enslaved people’s unpaid labor on the plantation.  Contending that the country today is facing “the worst political violence since the 1960s,” he offered, “This country will not be healed by hate. True community is based on love. They understood sacrifice, resilience and love.”

Linda Allen-Hollis lamented that many of today’s youngsters know little about the country’s history of slavery. “We will never forget,” she told the group, soberly adding, “The earth still cradles the bones of the men, women and children who labored on this land.” Allen-Hollis, who came from California, is a descendant of West Ford who worked at the estate for almost 60 years and in 1833 founded the Gum Springs community in Mount Vernon, the oldest Black community in Fairfax County.

A group of young people, the Youth Readers and Writers, wearing kente cloth scarfs, read known names of those enslaved at Mount Vernon, from infants to ages one to 70, solemnly reciting names like Billy, age 16; Lucy, age 11; infant, name unknown.

Tributes

A special guest was Baltimorean Susan Taylor King, age 101, the last “Rosie the Riveter.” During World War II, King helped assemble airplanes at Eastern Aircraft in Baltimore. Former President Joe Biden awarded her the Congressional Gold Medal in 2024.

Speakers paid tribute to three other champions who died since the last commemoration: Nikki Giovanni, Judge Rohulamin Quander and Harry Robinson III.

Giovanni was an award-winning poet and professor at Virginia Tech for 36 years and died on Dec. 9, 2024.

Quander was an administrative law judge in Washington, D.C., and lead historian of the Quander family whose roots in America go back 350 years. He authored a book, “The Quanders,” and died on Aug. 16, 2025.

Robinson was Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at Howard University and led students there to win a design competition for Mount Vernon’s Slave Memorial, dedicated in 1983. He died on June 13, 2025.

Heart-felt prayers and songs expressed faith and hope, and Malik Roberts applauded, “the strength to endure.” 

“The sun always shines again,” Barika Porter told attendees. She’s an officer with Black Women United for Action (BWUFA), the lead sponsor of the event.

Choirs from Howard, Morgan State and Norfolk State Universities lifted spirits with their melodious harmonies and hopeful lyrics, like “Rocka My Soul.”    

Mount Vernonite Queenie Cox remarked, “I came because this is an opportunity to keep the enslaved’s memories alive, particularly the blood, sweat and tears they expended for us to have freedom.”

After the two-hour program, Richmond-area Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan led a silent procession to the Slave Memorial in the African American Burial Ground, where 100 to 150 people are interred, near George Washington’s tomb. Participants laid a wreath and boxwood sprigs on the memorial. Its truncated design represents unfinished lives. Bradburn said it is “a granite monument like a song in stone,” adding, “Their graves are unmarked, but their lives are unforgettable.” 

BWUFA, led by Sheila Coates, organized this annual program in partnership with Mount Vernon. Coates told the crowd, “Others died for you to get here.” 

More Information: www.blackwomenunitedforaction.org and www.mountvernon.org