On March 16, 2023, historian Connor Williams discussed his role as lead historian for the U.S. Congress’ Naming Commission, with particular emphasis on the process of recommending new names for the three Virginia forts—Fort Lee, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Pickett.

Though the Civil War’s battles were settled on the fields of our nation more than a century and half ago, the fields of our collective memories continue to be rife with conflict. This has especially proved the case over the last few years, as some Civil War monuments come down and other interpretations go up, sparking important questions. What stories should be commemorated? What features should be highlighted? What role should the Confederacy play in the history of the United States? Should we memorialize Confederates, and if so, how? How might these struggles play out on Virginia’s historic and contemporary landscape? Connor Williams will discuss how our society arrived at these questions, and where we might go from here, investigating all these issues from his recent experience, and especially through the stories of the three Virginia forts for which the commission recommended new names.

Before serving with the Naming Commission, Connor pursued his doctorate in history and African American Studies at Yale University, and he maintains an affiliation with both departments. He is currently completing A Race on the Frontier: African American Lives, Labors and Communities in Northern California, 1850–1915, a book project that examines the political struggles, economic opportunities, labor strategies, and networks of organization and support Black Americans forged throughout the Golden State between the Gold Rush and the Great War.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.