On March 20, 2026, at the Virginia Forum held at Shenandoah University in Frederick, VA, I participated in a panel with Kristen Laise and Brenda Nelson. Our discussion centered on “The Slave, Freedman, and Enslaver: The Story of Monday Robinson.”
Kristen Laise, the Executive Director of Belle Grove Plantation, will present an exhibit titled “Monday Robinson: A Life of Thorns & Roses.” The opening is scheduled for September 26.
Please join us!
The upcoming exhibit *Monday Robinson: A Life of Thorns & Roses* sounds like a powerful way to explore the layered reality of someone who lived on both sides of freedom. It’s interesting how such stories challenge the oversimplified narratives we often inherit. Really makes you think about the spaces in between.
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Thanks, Rachel!
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The title “A Life of Thorns Roses” really captures the complexity of Monday Robinson’s journey—how someone could navigate enslavement, freedom, and even becoming an enslaver themselves. Hearing about this exhibit makes me wonder how many other overlooked figures like him are buried in local archives waiting to be pieced together.
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Thank you, R. Davis. It has been a long journey in researching Monday. It has taken me 16-years.
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The exhibit title “A Life of Thorns Roses” beautifully captures the duality of Monday Robinson’s story—so many enslaved individuals had both hardship and resilience woven into their lives. Hearing about this panel makes me wonder how community archives could help surface more narratives like his.
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Thank you, G. Perez!
For 16-years, I have been researching Monday Robinson. I have traced him through 14 Counties in Virginia. I think archives can better serve the public if they include historians and genealogists in their institutions. Both of these disciplines can provide great value to an Archives. Each one of these disciplines looks at the subject differently but with a sense of history and family.
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