Keep Up Push for Inclusion

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Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to the article “Where is the ESVA? Not on Official Virginia History Ornament,” published in your newspaper on Oct.14.

As a resident of the Eastern Shore of Virginia who was born and raised in both Accomack and Northampton counties, I find myself to be more than disappointed and humiliated by the misrepresentation of the Shore by the Virginia Museum of History and Cultures.

The Virginia Historical Society, a nonprofit organization that owns and operates the museum, has previously stated one of their seven values as: “We are trusted stewards, committed to telling an accurate and inclusive story of Virginia.”

I find this value to be contradictory in the works that they produce, such as this year’s ornament, which is neither geographically accurate nor inclusive of the state as a whole, portrayed by the exclusion and omission of the Eastern Shore in its entirety within the state map.

Therefore, how is it possible for an organization to represent an entire state accurately and inclusively if the area of that state in which various governmental figures reside (e.g., Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Robert Bloxom Jr.) has not been represented?

The Eastern Shore has come a long way in its representation and involvement within the state; I can only hope that we will continue to do this and push for further inclusion within Virginia.

Abigail Killmon,
Onancock and Nassawadox

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