VIRGINIA

In reversal, Montpelier appoints directors from descendants of the enslaved

By Gregory S. Schneider
Yesterday at 12:47 p.m. EDT | Updated yesterday at 2:26 p.m. EDT

RICHMOND — The board that oversees James Madison’s Montpelier estate has chosen 11 new directors recommended by a group representing descendants of enslaved workers, claiming a milestone in diversity at a major historical site.

Monday’s vote creates full parity for the descendants of the enslaved in the leadership of the Montpelier Foundation, and amounts to a sharp turnaround from the board’s effort in March to repudiate the Montpelier Descendants Committee.

“It has been a long and not always easy process to get to this point, but one result of the process has been the identification of an incredibly gifted and renowned slate of new Board members,” the foundation said in a news release. Board chairman Gene Hickok, who had driven the split with the MDC, is stepping down as his term comes to a close. ... “I am very pleased that the goal of parity has been achieved and that the Foundation has added such distinguished new members to its Board. I wish the Board every success in moving ahead for Montpelier’s benefit,” Hickok said in a written statement.

The new members include TV journalist Soledad O’Brien and Harvard professor and former NAACP chief the Rev. Cornell William Brooks.

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By Gregory S. Schneider
Greg Schneider covers Virginia from the Richmond bureau. He was The Washington Post's business editor for more than seven years, and before that served stints as deputy business editor, national security editor and technology editor. He has also covered aviation security, the auto industry and the defense industry for The Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/SchneiderG