Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester

We went to the museum last week on a very cold morning. There were very few people there and not a lot to see as much of the museum was closed off while they get other exhibits ready. The staff that greeted us were very nice and helpful. The focus of the museum during our visit was looking at the contributions of African Americans in the Shenandoah Valley and women, which is great and very interesting. We were kind of surprised by the obvious omission of one black immigrant women from Winchester, and that is our new Lt. Governor Winsome Sears. While our Lt. Governor did not grow up in the Shenandoah Valley, she has called Winchester her home for many years now. She is the first female lieutenant governor and first black female lieutenant governor, so that is two historic milestones, yet there was no acknowledgement of that anywhere in the museum that I could see. You might think that is because she was only elected a few months ago, but there was also a display with references to the war in Ukraine, so it's not like the museum doesn't keep up with current issues. I suspect the oversight is purposeful as Lt. Governor Sears does not have the ideology that museum leadership adheres to. I feel full equality for women and minorities (especially Blacks) will not come to America until they are allowed by elites to have nonconforming viewpoints. It is a metastasized form of systemic racism that is hard to get rid of. I loved the pink-hatted white woman picture which told me a lot! I look forward to coming back when the weather is warmer and walking through the beautiful grounds around the museum.

It felt to me that Winchester is not that big a place. But somehow they have managed to build a first rate quality park, education, and museum setting right 'walkable' in town. There is no way everyone at every age in your family won't find something memorable to do, see or learn here. I'm glad Winchester is small because in a big city this place would be overrun because everyone would want to be here.