September 24, 2023

Moon Discusses Race-based Discrimination in Alexandria

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon

 The large lecture hall at the Holiday Inn down the street from Wegman’s in Carlyle began filling up well before the start time Tuesday evening August 29. Hundreds of Alexandria residents on both sides of this heated debate turned out for a three-hour information session, as they heard from housing experts on the plight of housing in the city of Alexandria.

Many more watched the panel session from home. The room was packed with several more people standing in the back. “We are here to educate, inform, and update you on the most recent data, and to hear from you,” began Nancy Wilson, assistant director, City Planning and Zoning.

Krystyn Moon, professor of History and American Studies at University of Mary Washington discussed race-based discrimination and mortgages in Alexandria and the history of redlining in our city. Read more.

 

Zoning Proposal for Housing is Front and Center as Alexandria City Council Meets Tonight in Public Session (The Zebra)

Moon Quoted in ‘Alexandria Now’ on Housing Inequity

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon spoke to Alexandria Now for an article titled “Despite flurry of new apartments, experts say Alexandria has a housing shortage.” Moon said racial covenants in neighborhoods started later in Alexandria than in other places and that housing started shifting dramatically in the 60s with the passage of the Fair Housing Act and the Housing and Urban Development Act. “This opens up mortgages to low and moderate-income families,” Moon said. “In Alexandria, it particularly opens them to African American residents. Not only is there an increase in home ownership for African Americans as a result, but an opening up of neighborhoods closed off to them in the past, particularly north of Rosemont.” Read more.

Despite flurry of new apartments, experts say Alexandria has a housing shortage (Alexandria Now)

Moon Receives Mention in ‘Falls Church News-Press’

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon received a media mention in the article “Racist F.C. Past Unveiled In Land Covenants” published in the Falls Church News-Press. The publication set out to examine property deeds (stored in databases not in the city or nearby Arlington but at the Fairfax County Courthouse), the article states, but the work was already underway by a group of academics coordinated by Moon, along with Marymount University sociology professor Janine DeWitt and housing attorney Kristin Neun. Read more.

Racist F.C. Past Unveiled In Land Covenants (Falls Church News-Press)

Moon to Serve as a Panelist at William & Mary’s Lemon Project

Professor of History and Director of American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and Director of American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor Krystyn R. Moon from the Department of History and American Studies will be part of a panel at the College of William & Mary’s annual Lemon Project Symposium to be held March 25-26, 2022. “The Future of Ethnic Studies: A Community Panel” will explore interdisciplinary degree programs in Virginia at the collegiate level.

To learn more about the Lemon Project, a program named after a man who was enslaved at the College of William and Mary, click here.

Moon Publishes Field Research on Central Cuba

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon recently co-authored two articles on central Cuba.

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon recently co-authored two articles on central Cuba.

Krystyn Moon, Professor of History and American Studies, recently co-authored two articles on central Cuba. “La Picadora: A Case Study in Cuban Agroecotourism,” which appeared last summer in the International Journal of Cuban Studies, looks at the impact of sustainable farming and tourism on a rural community that historically had not seen foreign visitors. “Food Access, Identity, and Taste in Two Rural Cuban Communities” interrogates Bourdieu’s notions of class identity by exploring food preferences among fishers and farmers in Sancti Spíritus Province. This essay was recently published in Gastronomica.

Moon’s research began through an educational exchange sponsored by COPLAC in 2015.

African American Heritage Trail Committee Wins Archaeology Award (Krystyn Moon)

Professor of History and Director of American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and Director of American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon is a member of the African American Heritage Trail Committee, which was recently presented with the Brenman Archaeology Award by the City of Alexandria. The city’s official announcement is below:

Alexandria Archaeological Commission Announces Winners of Brenman Archaeology Award

The Alexandria Archaeological Commission (AAC) is proud to announce the winners of the annual Bernard “Ben” Brenman Archaeology in Alexandria Award. The awards, named in honor of the late Ben Brenman, a longtime Commission chair, were presented by Mayor Wilson on Tuesday, October 26th at the Alexandria City Council meeting. Councilmember Redella S. “Del” Pepper read the proclamation.

The 2021 honorees are:

Griffin Burchard: Outstanding Preservation Advocate, for his contribution to the stewardship of Douglass Cemetery, one of Alexandria’s historic Black cemeteries; for planning and implementing his 2019 Eagle Scout project at Douglass Cemetery, including the creation of a new interpretive historical sign at the site; for raising awareness about these sacred and fragile sites and the recognition that preserving Black cemeteries means preserving the history of Black Alexandrians; and for immeasurably enhancing the quality of life in Alexandria by caring for the final resting place of those buried here.

Members of the African American Heritage Trail Committee (including UMW Professor of History Krystyn Moon, far right, pink shirt) accept the Brenman Archaeology Award from the City of Alexandria.

Members of the African American Heritage Trail Committee (including UMW Professor of History Krystyn Moon, far right, pink shirt) accept the Brenman Archaeology Award from the City of Alexandria.

African American Heritage Trail Committee (Councilman John Chapman, Susan Cohen, Gwen Day-Fuller, Elizabeth “Indy” McCall, Maddy McCoy, Krystyn Moon, McArthur Myers, and Ted Pulliam, founding and current members): Outstanding Community History, in recognition of their dedication to researching and highlighting the contributions of African Americans to Alexandria’s historic waterfront and throughout the city; for their leadership in the community history movement that engages residents and visitors with new ways of telling Alexandria’s unique history; and for their commitment to instilling a sense of collective ownership of the past for all Alexandrians.

The Alexandria Archaeological Commission (AAC) established the Brenman Award in 2007 in honor of the late activist and retired U.S. Army colonel. Brenman had devoted himself to finding, preserving, and sharing Alexandria’s rich and diverse heritage, and was a founding member of the AAC, serving as its chair for 21 years. The AAC, a City of Alexandria commission, was the first of its kind established in the U.S.

The Brenman Award recognizes businesses, organizations, families, professional preservationists, volunteers, students, and other individuals who have demonstrated work or efforts in archaeological investigation, research, site protection, education, public interpretation, open space design, collections, or conservation.

The 15-member AAC is appointed by the City Council and develops goals and priorities for Alexandria’s archaeological heritage. The commission works closely with residents, government agencies, developers, and teachers to promote archaeology in the city.

Moon Gives Talk on “Exploring Systemic Racism in Alexandria: Housing”

Professor of History and Director of American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and Director of American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and Director of American Studies Krystyn Moon recently gave a talk on “Exploring Systemic Racism in Alexandria: Housing” on March 18 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. Moon discussed “how the confluence of a Jim Crow past, plus development and market pressures, constrained the options of Blacks seeking to live in the city,” according to an article in the Alexandria Patch. Read more.