LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
“VisitLEX has been proud to support this important project since its inception,” said Mary Quinn Ramer, president of VisitLEX. “It is an experience that will be beneficial to residents and visitors alike.”
We have created a 24 site ‘on the street’ museum viewable via smart phone using GPS geofencing. The sites are within a several block radius, centering around The Old Fayette Courthouse, formerly the largest auction block for the enslaved west of the Allegheny Mountains. There is an informational brochure at the Visitors Center with a QR code to link to the download for the tour. Once participants complete the pass, they can stop into the Visitors Center and pick up an I Was Here print.
I Was Here explores the significance of memory, history, and ancestry and how all three come together to begin the process of healing spaces wounded by enslavement. I Was Here has received local, national, and international awards; created an integrated anthem; and expanded to other cities within Kentucky, while developing a national presence in Washington DC and upcoming in New York City.
Although this project launched in Kentucky, the repercussions from slavery are not merely a 'southern issue'. It is a national wound that we, as fellow Americans, must heal.
