Would you like to learn to edit Wikipedia and tell the world more about Charlottesville’s African-American community at the same time? Then register and come to the auditorium of the Harrison Institute and Small Special Collections Library on Friday, November 30, 2018, from 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. for the Wikipedia edit-a-thon “Surfacing Black Life in Charlottesville.”

Special Collections will supply resources including copies of two local African-American newspapers, the Charlottesville Tribune and the Charlottesville Albemarle Tribune; and Instruction Librarian Krystal Appiah and curator Molly Schwartzburg will assist you with adding to Wikipedia’s scanty knowledge base about black life in Charlottesville.

For instance, if you search Wikipedia for Charlottesville, you won’t learn that that Hampton Institute graduate George P. Inge established a grocery in 1891 at 333 West Main St. (the present location of the upscale Tavern & Grocery restaurant), or that his store once supplied most of the fresh fish in the city, or that Inge as Chairman of Charlottesville’s Republican Party in 1900 hosted distinguished African Americans like classmate Booker T. Washington because they weren’t permitted in the city’s segregated hotels.

The Library has a treasure trove of unknown history it wants to share with the world. Come to the Harrison-Small auditorium on November 30 and discover what stories need to be told. Snacks will be provided. Register now!

Inge’s Grocery, 333 W. Main St. The 1820 building doubled as both home and place of business for the Inge family beginning in 1891. The store was not destroyed as many others were by the city in the mid ’60s, and remained in the family until 1979.