 Chaco Bottom, National Treasure and Site of Conscience. Chaco Bottom was once a national center of the 19th century slave trade. Now, the layers of history that lie beneath modern Richmond are threatened by a baseball stadium project and other development. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation, Virginia convening local leaders and historians to discuss why Chaco Bottom matters as a site of conscience. Here's what they said. Chaco Bottom matters to me because it really is one of the most crucial areas of history in the United States of America, particularly as it related to African Americans. The history of slavery in Chaco, I believe in many ways laid the economic foundation for our system of capitalism in America. The heritage of Chaco Bottom is relevant today because essentially we are still dealing with slavery in America. We're dealing with the repercussions of slavery, the effects of slavery on the African American psyche, on the American psyche and how we relate to each other, how we don't relate to each other. I get this place matters. I get that it is super important, not only in Richmond's history but in American history and that we have a responsibility to make visible the hidden stories that lay there and to be able to come up with a smart and strategic redevelopment strategy that not only honors the history but also brings about a revitalization effort in Richmond. I hope Chaco becomes a place that first commemorates and recognizes the history that is there, first and foremost and also expounds on that history and brings that history and makes it relevant to present day. All of these things are really extensions of this large network, this vein, if you will, of progress that we've made as people of African descent, of slavery descent. Here in America, and we need to respect those who came before us to make all these possibilities available to us today. And I think it's our obligation to continue to expose our history and not to cover it up. We rise, bringing the gifts that our ancestors gave. We are the dream and the hope.