Remembrance for people buried at Loudoun Co. slave cemetery

By Liz Anderson
October 1, 2017 | 3:53 PM

LEESBURG, Va. — A gathering is on the way for history enthusiasts and Loudoun County community members to honor some of the county’s forgotten residents: slaves from two neighboring plantations.

Next Sunday’s oral history walking tour will celebrate the lives of enslaved people who lived and died on the Coton and Belmont plantations.

The Day of Reflection and Unity will begin at Lansdowne, site of the former Coton plantation, and will end with a wreath-laying at the Belmont Slave Cemetery which is nestled in the woods and hidden in plain sight across Route 7 at Belmont Ridge Road.

It’s part of the Loudoun Freedom Center’s work to preserve and share the county’s African-American history and to ensure future generations also connect with the county’s rich and diverse past.

Details:
When: Sunday, Oct. 8, 2 p.m.
Where: Lansdowne Town Center (Harris Teeter Parking Lot)
Email LFCInfo@holyandwhole.org for more information.

Breaking the silence around suicide: A Virginia mother shares thoughts on prevention

By Kate Ryan
September 1, 2026 | 4:22 AM

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and Betsy Stephenson, an Alexandria, Virginia, resident and a mother who lost her son to suicide, wants people to talk about it. "By not talking about suicide, we are not going to make it go away. In fact, I think that we could inadvertently give it a little more power than it deserves," she told WTOP. One of the things that Stephenson wants families to know is that people who are struggling can appear to be doing well. "You can be very high-functioning as a depressed person or an anxious person," she said. "You can be connected socially. You can be doing well at school or work. You can be making plans, smiling, laughing, engaged, but still be struggling deeply, you know, cosmically, inside."

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