From Hate to Hope in Colonial Williamsburg

ByOlivia Bada

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Master Hand Engraver C. Lynn Zelesnikar at work in the engraving shop working on a plaque made from the melted-down brass doorstops from the Inn. This plaque is to be presented to the First Baptist Church.

The Williamsburg Inn, the famed luxury hotel in Colonial Williamsburg that regularly plays host to celebrities and royalty (including Queen Elizabeth II, twice), recently discovered that many of its elegant doors were being propped open by brass “doormen” that depict crude racial stereotypes of African Americans. But rather than simply throwing the heavy doorstops on the scrap heap of history, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which owns and operates the hotel along with three others, decided to turn the doorstops into something “teachable and affirmative” by melting them down and recasting the brass into a plaque bearing the words from an iconic speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. …

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From Making History Now 

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  • bada

    Olivia Bada utilizes her expertise in digital strategy, including writing, graphic design, sales, marketing, SEO, and social media, to establish WilliamsburgFamilies.com as a premier platform for community news, events, and engagement. Her professional approach ensures the site effectively connects with both local and visitor audiences. View all posts CEO

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