“The William & Mary Bray School Lab uncovers, documents, preserves, and shares broadly the history and legacies of the Williamsburg Bray School (1760-1774) and its students.”

The William & Mary Bray School Lab is a unit of W&M Strategic Cultural Partnerships

June 14, 2024 Edition

Dear Margaret,,

Greetings from the William & Mary Bray School Lab and welcome back to Bray School Bulletins!

We are very pleased to share the latest news and updates with you from the W&M Bray School Lab...

• 3rd Annual Journey to Racial Healing Ceremony | June 22
• CHIP Instagram Takeover | June 25
• Rosenwald School Oral Histories Available Online
• Descendants Day @ James Monroe's Highland Reflections
• SCP visits Stratford Hall
• Meet Our 2024 CHIP Interns: Emma Rossettini!

• Juneteenth at William & Mary | June 18

Tonia Merideth to share her story at this public discussion.

We are proud to let you know that Tonia Merideth, W&M Bray School Lab Oral Historian, will be a featured speaker at the 3rd Annual Journey to Racial Healing Ceremony, presented by Coming To The Table: Virginia's Historic Triangle. The event will be held at the Stryker Center (412 N. Bounday St.) from 2:00 - 5:00 PM on Saturday, June 22.

In addition to Tonia, the Reverend Dr. Robert W. Lee, IV will speak about their journeys to racial healing.

Learn more about this event and to register, click here.

We're handing over our Instagram account to Cultural Heritage Immersion Program intern Jada Luxene on Tuesday, June 25! Follow along on social media as Jada takes you through her day!

Follow W&M Strategic Cultural Partnerships on Instagram!

Tonia Merideth poses with former students of Virginia's Rosenwald schools. Photo courtesy of Tonia Merideth.

Access Rosenwald school oral histories online!

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture's exhibit A Better Life For Their Children, exploring the history of the Rosenwald schools, is running until April 2025.

Can't make it to Richmond?

Watch and listen to alumni of Virginia's Rosenwald schools talk about their experiences online.

Tonia Merideth, Oral Historian for the W&M Bray School Lab, created these oral histories in collaboration with VMHC.

CHIP intern reflects on her first Descendants Day event.

Guest post by Jada Luxene, CHIP Intern:

Descendants Day is an event aimed at commemorating the Descendant Community and their ancestors and families through food, music, and stories. It stands as a highlight of my internship. Entering the event, I immediately saw how connected the community was and the great effort everyone put in to get it running. The program was packed with a keynote speaker, musical selections, and a historical performance.

One of my favorite moments included their worship songs centered around perseverance and freedom. Hearing everyone join in, clapping, and stomping along gave me chills. I was able to understand their deeply rooted ancestral reverence. My role at the event was to share SCP’s role with the W&M Bray School Lab and how that relates to the Descendant Community.

As I spoke with individuals and heard their stories, I was inspired to continue to do work that matters. If given the chance, I invite anyone to attend next year’s Descendants Day.

Cultural Heritage Immersion Program students attend Descendants' Day at Jame Monroe's Highland. From left: Sharpe Scholar AJ Bucy, Jada Luxene, Olivia Blackshire and Eliza Fernandez.

SCP staff continue to partner with Virginia museums and historic sites.



Members of the Strategic Cultural Partnerships team recently visited colleagues at Stratford Hall in Stratford, VA. They discussed partnership opportunities and learned more about how historic sites are telling more inclusive histories.

It was our particular pleasure to spend time with William & Mary alums Karen Daly '99, President of Stratford Hall, and Dr. Kelly Fanto Deetz '02, Vice President of Collections and Public Engagement.

Dr. Mark Hofer will be launching a Jessie Ball duPont Fund grant-funded project for Northern Neck teachers called Revolutionary Educators: Student Historians, which prompted the visit.

W&M Strategic Cultural Partnerships is proud to host the Cultural Heritage Immersion Program (CHIP), pairing W&M students with museum and cultural heritage sites in Hampton Roads and beyond.

This summer, we will be bringing you spotlights on our 2024 CHIP interns. Next up is Emma Rossettini, Archaeological Collections Intern at Colonial Williamsburg!

Photo courtesy of Emma Rossettini.

Join us at campus celebrations.

William & Mary has announced plans for the campus celebration of Juneteenth! From 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM on June 18, 2024, in the Sadler Center, the program will feature the Neika Simone Band, poetry by Shawn Allston '25, trivia, vendors and more!

Learn more about the 2024 program by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of University Events.

Catch up on past Bray School Bulletins newsletters by clicking here.

All photos, unless otherwise noted, are by Grace Helmick '22.

Connect with us