The Friends of the City of Raleigh (COR) Museum  will present a virtual evening of African American historic preservation with Executive Director of the Slave Dwelling Project Joe McGill at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21.

During “Preserving the Past: A virtual discussion with Joe McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project,” COR Museum Director Ernest Dollar will talk with McGill, whose unique form of awareness of spaces occupied by enslaved peoples in the 18^th and 19^th century has made national headlines.

The online discussion is free and open to the public. Registration is required and donations are encouraged.

To register, sign up on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/preserving-the-past-discussion-with-joe-mcgill-the-slave-dwelling-project-tickets-135518073205

The discussion will focus on preserving and retelling the experience of African Americans during this period and what it means for Raleigh’s past. McGill will talk about how the Slave Dwelling Project is effecting a change in understanding of slavery and raising awareness of the need to preserve these endangered places.

McGill has made his life’s work to educate people about the experience of slavery in America. Rather than a lecture or class, he takes a different path, one that immerses visitors in life and meaning of slavery by sleeping in places where they slept. The Slave Dwelling Project became his way of having a time and place to talk about what millions of African Americans endured for more than 250 years. His unique brand of education and historic preservation has impacted those who spend time with McGill across the United States.

McGill is a history consultant for Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, S.C., and the founder and director of The Slave Dwelling Project. Previously, as a field officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, McGill worked to revitalize the Sweet Auburn commercial district in Atlanta  and to develop a management plan for the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area. He is a former executive director of the African American Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a former director of history and culture at Penn Center, St. Helena Island, S.C.. He has also served as a National Park Service park ranger at Fort Sumter National Monument in Charleston.

Visit the Slave Dwelling Project’s website for more information: https://slavedwellingproject.org/

To learn more about the Friends of the COR Museum: https://www.cityofraleighmuseum.org/

What: “Preserving the Past: A discussion with Joe McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project” 

When:  Thursday, Jan. 21, beginning at 8 p.m.

Where: Online

Cost: FREE