In the heart of Richmond, Virginia lies Shockoe, the oldest part of the city. Shockoe was a center of exchange for the people of Tsenacomoco (the Powhatan Confederacy), one of the earliest British trading posts, and an epicenter of the domestic slave trade in America. It is here that the Shockoe Institute has undertaken a transformative project to create an over 12,000-square-foot educational facility at Richmond’s historic Main Street Station.   

The Shockoe Institute’s mission is to reveal the enduring impact of racial slavery on our shared American experience, inspiring both reflection and action. 

The Institute does this in three ways, by: 

• Immersing visitors in an over 12,000-square-foot educational facility that provides opportunities to grapple with the history of enslavement in Virginia and across the nation 

• Inviting visitors to explore the Institute’s Lab, which employs multimedia tools and wide-ranging, interdisciplinary content to provide an immersive experience  

• Welcoming visitors to participate in the Institute’s programs, focused on the enduring impact of American racial slavery, and designed to deepen participants’ understanding of our nation’s ongoing struggle to expand human freedom.      

The Shockoe Institute will provide all visitors with an immersive, educational experience that delves into Richmond's pivotal role in the domestic slave trade and serves as a gateway to an adjacent memorial campus.  

In an era where informed discussion is too often neither, the Institute seeks to combine intellectual rigor with the generosity of spirit necessary to encourage visitors to embark on enriching and rewarding learning journeys. We will neither shy away from that which is brutal and inhumane, nor will we gloss over the uncomfortable facts of history.  Neither will we use evidence to inflame or exacerbate contemporary intolerance. Rather, we seek to contribute to the growth of public knowledge about Americans’ shared history in order to support reflection, encourage action, promote meaningful conversation, and work together to use this history to better understand our present and help create a better future.