As an alumna of Virginia Union University and a longtime resident of Richmond, I find it hard to believe, and digest, that my beloved alma mater is so callously dismissing the intrinsic value of this landmark, Richmond Community Hospital, in an historic part of the city, which includes the neighborhood that produced so many of the leaders entrenched in the uplifting of the Black community.

The building was a gift to the university when the new Community Hospital was built in Church Hill, in part because it housed a significant part of Richmond’s Black history and was representative of the contributions of dedicated Black doctors when reasonable health care for Black residents was virtually non-existent.

VUU produced many of those physicians. Through the years, many of VUU’s graduates went on to well-known medical schools and became prominent contributors in their respective locales.

Our history is being attacked on many fronts and attempts to disavow our very existence are escalating. It is horrible to consider that VUU is willing to participate in the plowing over of this small piece of land that speaks so much to the life experiences of so many. I  suspect that every Black resident 60 years or older who lives/lived in the area has some connection to RCH — from births to tonsillectomies to broken arms and beyond.

In an institution of higher education, I feel certain there are bright minds that can conceive of, design and produce plans that can incorporate this building into the proposed development envisioned via the partnership. Shortsightedness is not a characteristic of an institution of higher education that has existed since 1865. Re-purposing the building and incorporating it into the master plan is a far more appropriate way to honor the era of RCH’s North Side existence and the physicians who sacrificed and served. A brass plaque is far from sufficient.

Mary DePillars

Richmond