The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, in collaboration with the Shockoe Bottom Community Advisory Group, will hold a series of events to honor Gabriel’s Rebellion, the legacy of Black cemeteries and historic slave revolts in Virginia and elsewhere.

The commemoration begins Friday, Aug. 30, marking the 225th anniversary of Gabriel’s Rebellion, a planned uprising against slavery that was thwarted by a storm and betrayal. The community gathering will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Spring Park in Henrico County, the site where Gabriel Prosser and his fellow conspirators met to organize the rebellion.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, the 22nd Annual Gabriel Gathering will focus on the theme “Reclaiming Black Cemeteries – Reclaiming Resistance.”

The event will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground in Richmond, where a new state historical marker will be unveiled. Participants are encouraged to wear white to honor the history of the site.

The series concludes on Saturday, Oct. 12, with a regional conference focused on reclaiming Black cemeteries and commemorating slave rebellions in Virginia, South Carolina and Louisiana. Details will be announced closer to the event.

For more information, contact the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project at sacredgroundproject@gmail.com or (804) 644-5834.