Eventually, the block which sat at the corner of William and Charles streets with a small, ground level, bronze plaque reading: “AUCTION BLOCK, Fredericksburg’s Principal Auction Site in Pre-Civil War Days for Slaves and Property,” was removed by the City of Fredericksburg on Friday, June 5, 2020.
The block’s removal is also a personal victory for Councilman Chuck Frye Jr., the only African-American on the City Council who proposed removing Fredericksburg’s slave auction block in 2017, but was outvoted at the city council.
The City Council meanwhile hired a non-profit — the International Coalition Sites of Conscience (ICSC) – which helped the city engage the community in conversations about the auction block and historical events of injustice and racial biases.
After the ICSC report, Frye once again brought his proposal to remove the stone and this time around the City Council voted 6-1 to approve its removal.
It’s almost certain that had there been no black person in this case, the first vote against the removal of the slave era symbol would have stood further causing psychological pain and trauma for the African-Americans in the community.
