WHEREAS, on October 14, 2018, Pastor Michelle Thomas and Ron Campbell, founder and executive director of the Loudoun Freedom Center, respectively, announced plans for the creation of a "freedom trail" honoring the memory of African Americans who lived in Lansdowne; and

WHEREAS, Lansdowne was home to as many as 100 enslaved African Americans in the 1700s and 1800s; the freedom trail will feature six historical markers, installed in conjunction with the Lansdowne Town Center and its owner, Saul Centers, to share this story with Lansdowne residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Michelle Thomas made this announcement in tandem with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new walking path built to preserve and memorialize the burial ground for enslaved African Americans at Belmont; and

WHEREAS, the Belmont burial grounds walking path was built by Mikaeel Martinez Jaka and over 50 volunteers for Jaka's Eagle Scout service project, contributing to the Loudoun Freedom Center's plans to make the cemetery a historic destination for county residents and school field trips; and

WHEREAS, Michelle Thomas, Ron Campbell, and staff at the Loudoun Freedom Center have admirably dedicated their time to uncovering, preserving, and memorializing the history of African Americans in Loudoun County; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Loudoun Freedom Center for their "freedom trail" honoring the lives of enslaved African Americans from Lansdowne; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Loudoun Freedom Center as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for their important work to preserve the history of the Commonwealth.