Master storyteller Sheila Arnold will present a Black History Month program that will include African American events and individuals from the Historic Triangle at Colonial Williamsburg on Thursday.
The program will be held from 6 to 6:50 p.m. in the Hennage Auditorium in the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and is free to the public.
Originally, the program “Chesapeake Stories” was a video presentation for schools on the struggles and triumphs of the real-life African Americans who made history in the lower Norfolk area, which is now Chesapeake. This year Arnold made it an in-person event.
For the Greater Williamsburg area, the presentation has been styled to include the Williamsburg African-American Trail as well as James City County citizens. Arnold’s program is part of “Arts for Learning,” the Virginia affiliate of Young Audiences. This particular event is sponsored by the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission, Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Although it sounds like we’re reading a book, it’s really storytelling,” Arnold explained, “and there is so much to tell.”
In the Chesapeake area there are stories about the Great Dismal Swamp and one related to George Washington, who was part of company that wanted to drain the swamp for eventual settlement. She also has a great story about William Flora, a free-born African American from Portsmouth who fought for the patriots against the British in the Battle of Great Bridge.
“There also are stories about the colored troops from James City County and this area’s education in the years after the Civil War,” added Arnold, who lives in Hampton.
Arnold’s storytelling expertise is recognized around the country and often portrays African American characters in the colonial era. In 2020, she was a research fellow at Mount Vernon, where she studied many details of the historic personalities she portrays.
Wilford Kale, kalehouse@aol.com
