Join us for a free screening of the documentary film “Uprooted,” followed by a panel discussion with the film’s director, Brandi Kellam, and guests. “Uprooted” reveals a Black community’s decades-long battle to hold onto their land as officials in Newport News used eminent domain to establish and expand Christopher Newport University. Kellam, who grew up in the area, has spent more than two years investigating this story.
The discussion panel includes Kellam; Robert K. Nelson, director of the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond; LaToya Gray-Sparks, community outreach coordinator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources; and Dwayne Johnson, a community member whose parents, James and Barbara Johnson, are featured in the film and still own one of the five remaining homes in the former Black community.
This event is part of the Library's programming related to the exhibition “House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History,” on view through Feb. 28, 2026. Exhibition-related programming is provided with support from Virginia Humanities and the Mellon Foundation.
This is a free event, but registration is required. Seating in the Lecture Hall is available on a first come, first served basis. Limited free parking is available underneath the Library at 800 East Broad Street. For more information, contact education@lva.virginia.gov.