Emancipation Day Stories
April 3, 2026 was Emancipation Day as celebrated in the city of Richmond and Essex County, Virginia. That evening, three speakers discussed emancipation stories of enslaved people in the Northern Neck during the American Revolution and beyond, exploring their divergent pathways and unpacking why their stories inspire people today.
Marian Ashton
Ronnie Sidney, II
Kayla Payne
About the speakers
Marian K. Veney Ashton: Executive Director, A.T. Johnson Museum
Marian K. Veney Ashton a descendant of two 1712 women who stepped onto the shores of Virginia’s Northern Neck — Mary Veney, older and resolute, and young Bess her granddaughter, barely thirteen. Both were described as having light skin and long, straight hair — features that marked them as Indigenous yet did not save them from enslavement. Their arrival began a struggle that would stretch across three centuries.
The Veneys became among the earliest free families of the Northern Neck. Yet freedom was fragile. Thirteen generations after Mary and Bess arrived in 1712, their descendants still carry the flame. From freedom to war service, to federal claims, to modern preservation, the Veney family’s journey is one of endurance, identity, and triumph.
Ronnie Sidney, II: Creative Medicine: Healing Through Words, LLC
Ronnie Sidney, II is a husband, father, author, national speaker, and social worker from Virginia. He is the great-great-great grandson of Willard Corbin, a formerly enslaved man from Essex County who escaped slavery to enlist in the Union Navy.
As a child, Sidney struggled with sitting still, focusing, and writing neatly. In middle school, he was placed in Mrs. Tobey's special education class, where he received the support that helped change the trajectory of his life. Years later, he honored that journey by releasing the Amazon best-selling children's book Nelson Beats the Odds, which features Mrs. Tobey and tells the story of his path from struggling student to college graduate.
Sidney is also the author of Tameka's New Dress, a story about confidence, bullying, and childhood trauma; Rest in Peace RaShawn Reloaded, selected for the Recommended Book List for the 2018 In the Margins Book Award; and Carlos Crosses the Border, which follows a Honduran migrant child whose family is forced to flee their home due to gang violence.
When he's not writing or speaking, Mr. Sidney enjoys spending time with his four children—Morgan, Mali, Malia, and Tahj—and his dog, Dior. His hobbies include reading, listening to music, and attending Broadway plays. One fun fact: he once rode the school bus with Grammy Award–winning artist Chris Brown.
Kayla Payne: Outreach & Interpretation Associate, Menokin Foundation
Kayla’s role at Menokin is developing interpretive content to tell Menokin’s layered history. She is a 2020 graduate from the College of William & Mary with a B.A. in Art & Art History and received a graduate certificate in public history from Virginia Commonwealth University.
In her presentation, Kayla discussed the story of Bristol, enslaved in Lancaster County, his winding road towards freedom, and the many obstacles he faced during the American Revolution period.