In Richmond, Virginia, Emancipation Day arrived on April 3, 1865, marking a historic moment of freedom. We are pleased to partner with The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia to commemorate this historic event.

This presentation examines the experiences of single Black women in Virginia after the Civil War. Despite significant challenges, they actively sought agency through petitions for support and compensation. Their efforts influenced the responsibilities of federal and local agencies and played a key role in shaping concepts of freedom, welfare, citizenship, and womanhood in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Arlisha R. Norwood is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She earned her Ph.D. from Howard University, specializing in 19th-century African American history, gender, and the Civil War. Her research focuses on single Black women in Civil War and Reconstruction-era Virginia, and she is currently working on a manuscript titled To Never Truck with No Man: Single Black Women during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

A recipient of multiple fellowships, including from the Mellon Foundation, Virginia Humanities, and the National Archives Foundation, Norwood is committed to making history accessible. She has contributed to projects with the National Women’s History Museum, the National Park Service, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History, using innovative approaches to engage the public with the past.