
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, December 26, 1993                   TAG: 9401220009
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

SLAVE MUSEUM

WHEN GOV. Wilder proposed last spring to build a national monument and museum at Jamestown to tell the story of victims of America's slave trade, we said it was a good idea.

We still think so.

Such a memorial would honor black people, including Wilder's own grandparents, who were enslaved for labor and underwent great suffering to help build this country.

In these days when racial strife still tears the nation apart, Americans of all races do well to be reminded occasionally of this part of their heritage. None could want to return to it, but it is an important part of America's history nonetheless.

So we're not quibbling with Wilder for including $100,000 in his last budget for initial costs of the project.

If that's what it takes to get the museum off the ground, so be it. This should be a fine addition to Virginia's cultural attractions, particularly in that part of Virginia that features Williamsburg and Jamestown.

We're just wondering about our recollection - albeit it somewhat vague - that when he initially announced the project, the governor said he didn't intend to use state funds; the project would be privately financed.

While we're at it, we're also just wondering why not even a penny can be found in the governor's budget for an existing museum - the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke - that also represents a piece of our heritage.

by CNB