Two individuals who were once enslaved in the Bluemont neighborhood were honored during an Aug. 2 ceremony at St. Ann Catholic Church.
The ceremony honored Henry Speaks and Lidia, whose last name is unknown. They are among about 100 individuals being honored this year with commemorative brass markers, or “stumbling stones,” as part of the Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington initiative.
“Without the truth, there can be no healing,” said Tim Aiken, a coordinator of the Memorializing the Enslaved program. This is a joint effort from the Arlington Historical Society and Black Heritage Museum of Arlington…