Campus Events

Why does Grace Sherwood’s story still haunt us? Scott Moore, author of “The Witch of Pungo: Grace Sherwood in Virginia History and Legend,” explores how the legend of Virginia’s most famous accused witch has evolved—from persecution to folklore to commemoration and civic pride—and what it says about our current day understanding of justice, gender, and belonging. Join us as Moore traces the strange morphology of a story that refuses to sink—and highlights what the story’s persistence reveals about our community and our conscience. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

Before this land became our campus, it was farmland. Before that, it was home to newly emancipated Black Americans transitioning to freedom. And long before any of that, this place was part of the ancestral homeland of the Nansemond people—members of the Powhatan Confederacy. Join us for a ceremonial repatriation of ancestral artifacts that have been held by the university for nearly sixty years. We gather with Nikki Bass, Assistant Chief of the Nansemond Indian Nation, and Thomas Badamo, Council Treasurer and Assistant Chief Emeritus, to honor the enduring presence of the Nansemond people in our community. Also, with support from the William Granville Sale, Jr. Award given by the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia Peacemaking Committee, a permanent land-acknowledgement plaque will be dedicated. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

Discover how enslaved people escaped into the Great Dismal Swamp—23 miles from campus—to build secret lives, trade networks, and a unique economy. Marcus Nevius, author of “City of Refuge: Slavery and Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp, 1763–1856,” uncovers this overlooked form of resistance called petit marronage, where a kind of freedom was achieved through barter and survival in the swamp. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

A Jewish New Yorker who moved to Virginia and made money as an exporter and who named his son Napoleon. A Kentucky native known as the “Sleeping Prophet” who gave psychic “readings” about health, past lives, and even Atlantis. A native of the Cape Verde Islands who wore loudly colored suits and glitzy jewelry, who had unusually long fingernails, and who was a celebrity preacher, faith healer, and miracle worker in the mid-20th century. Those three quirky figures each found their way to Coastal Virginia and lived in distinctive and unusual homes. As part of the Nusbaum at Night series, join VWU Gloria and David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies Eric Mazur over Zoom for a 30- to 40-minute exploration of these peculiar figures and their unusual homes.  Registration required by noon Nov. 3. Register with kjackson@vwu.edu or 757.455.3129.

In 1775 Virginia, a British governor’s offer of freedom to enslaved people ignited chaos and revolution. Andrew Lawler, author of “A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution,” shares the story of how these Black allies and the burning of Norfolk pushed the colonies toward revolution. Join us as Lawler uncovers how the fight for Black freedom set America on fire—literally—pushing the colonies to declare independence. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

Public sites and structures shape what we honor and what we forget. They can embody the legacy of one group and the trauma of another—the Confederate Memorial in Portsmouth once stood on the site of a slave whipping post, and the Emancipation Oak in Hampton is more than just a tree. How should public sites be designed considering complex histories. How can we develop a consistent view when historical pride, personal attachment, and moral discomfort share the same ground. Levi Tenen leads a provocative exploration of these issues and the ethics of public space more generally. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.