Public artwork reframes US history of enslavement through Jefferson’s valet

The Descendants of Monticello shifts focus from Thomas Jefferson to Robert Hemmings, his enslaved teen valetIn his 1981 inaugural address, Ronald Reagan gazed out at the magnificent vista of Washington DC. “At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand,” the new US president said. “Directly in front of me, the monument to a monumental man, George Washington, father of our country. A man of humility who came to greatness reluctantly. He