In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Civil War Trails, Inc. launched a new bilingual sign at Ox Hill Battlefield Park that interprets the history of the battle in Korean.
Also featuring a Spanish translation, the Ox Hill Battlefield sign is the first bilingual Civil War Trails sign in the nation out of over 1,350 sites across six states.
Barry Biggar, the president and CEO of Visit Fairfax, hopes the sign, translated and reviewed by local and regional partners, will “encourage visitation from non-English speaking travelers.”
According to Fairfax County’s website, nearly 39 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home. Most of them speak either Spanish or an Asian/Pacific language.
“Inclusiveness and accuracy are essential in recording and relaying true history to all,” said Esther W. McCullough, the Chair of FairFax County’s Ethnic and Oral History Committee. “Signage in citizen-friendly familiar languages allows history to be more accessible and better understood to our constituency.”
Before becoming Research Editor, Damare Baker was an Editorial Fellow and Assistant Editor for Washingtonian. She has previously written for Voice of America and The Hill. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied international relations, Korean, and journalism.
