The Bray School Opening

November 1, 2024
Colonial Williamsburg – Art Museums Lawn

250 years after its closing, the Williamsburg Bray School saw a ceremony that commemorates its legacy as the oldest extant building in the United States dedicated to the education of black children. Thanks to the efforts of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and William & Mary’s Bray School Lab, this building has been restored marking it as a symbol of the story of race, religion, and education in Williamsburg and the United States of America.

Ceremony speakers included:

Cliff Fleet – President & CEO of the The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and VA250 Commission Member

Rex Ellis – Former Vice President of the Historic Area, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Former Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, National Museum of African American History and Culture

Senator Mamie Locke – VA250 Commission Vice Chair

Delegate Cliff Hayes

Katherine Rowe – President of William & Mary and VA250 Commission Member

Lonnie Bunch – Secretary of The Smithsonian Institution

Carly Fiorina – Chair, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and VA250 National Honorary Chair

Justice John Charles Thomas – Former Virginia Supreme Court Justice

In The News

Colonial Williamsburg Restores America’s Oldest Black Schoolhouse, Uncovering a Legacy of Education and Resilience

November 4, 2024
The Washington Informer

Inside a 1760 schoolhouse for Black children in Williamsburg is a complicated history of slavery and resilience

November 3, 2024
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Restoration Underway: Oldest Black Schoolhouse In America From 18th-Century To Open As Museum

November 3, 2024
Black Enterprise

Inside a 1760 schoolhouse for Black children is a complicated history of slavery and resilience

November 1, 2024
Associated Press

The Nation’s Oldest Schoolhouse for Black Children Will Open to the Public Next Year

October 31, 2024
Smithsonian Magazine

Bray School Dedication Ceremony on Nov. 1

October 31, 2024
WY Daily

Historic Bray School reopens its doors at Colonial Williamsburg

October 31, 2024
13 News Now

Lost for centuries, Virginia school for enslaved children gets new life

October 30, 2024
The Washington Post

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