RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder testified before a bankruptcy judge on his vision of a national slavery museum, saying he felt compelled to tell the “emotionally gripping” story after he traveled to Africa.
Wilder testified Wednesday at what was expected to be a hearing on a plan to resurrect the debt-ridden museum but instead got bogged down in legal wrangling. A judge scheduled another hearing on a debt-reorganization plan for Aug. 8.
The proposed U.S. National Slavery Museum was to be built in Fredericksburg but donations dried up and the museum’s board filed for protection from its creditors last fall.
The museum is $7 million in debt. It hopes to resume fundraising to pay off creditors and sell a portion of the land where the museum is planned.
