washington and maggie walker, dred scott and mary elizabeth bowser, oliver hill and spotswood robinson, doug wilder and henry marsh. henrietta lacks and barbara johns, arthur ashe, so many more whose stories we recall this weekend, each of these people has a story of great achievement, of overcoming adversity, of blazing trails and opening doors for others, and their individual stories are part of this epic story that brings us here today, a story that began in tragedy on the shores at point comfort and saw a nation and a people through civil war and reconstruction, through jim crow and the civil rights movement, to where we are today and what we hope to become tomorrow. as we gather here now, the future is in our hands. what will we do to shape and model the future of virginia? today, we will hear perspectives, viewpoints, histories, and more that are part of a much needed dialogue, one american evolution has worked diligently to foster throughout this yearlong commemoration. hopefully that dialogue will allow us to go from contradiction to reconciliation, from sinful past to a bright