Montpelier Foundation elects 11 descendants of slaves

ORANGE, Va. (AP) — The board that manages former President James Madison’s Montpelier estate in Virginia has elected 11 new members representing descendants of people once enslaved there. Monday’s vote comes two months after it retracted a commitment to share power with a group representing African Americans who trace their roots to the historic estate. The Culpeper Star-Exponent reports new members were selected from 20 nominees submitted last month by the Montpelier Descendants Committee, a nationwide group drawn from the descendants’ community of the historic site. They’ll oversee management of the home of Madison, his wife, Dolley, and their enslaved workers. More than 11,000 people signed a petition protesting the foundation’s earlier actions to rescind its June 2021 decision on power-sharing.