‘32 Blocks’: How Church Hill Helped Make the Culture

Discover a powerful chapter in Richmond’s musical history through the eyes of writer, producer, and director Alicia Marbury Aroche, whose upcoming documentary 32 Blocks uncovers the roots of jazz, funk, and soul in Church Hill. As teenagers growing up in Richmond’s East End during Jim Crow and the early civil rights era, a group of local musicians broke barriers in a segregated industry—paving the way for musical innovations that continue to influence generations. Though largely unsung, their work has been sampled thousands of times by global artists, leaving an indelible mark on music history.

In this special lecture, Ms. Aroche, a Virginia Humanities Public Humanities Fellow with deep family ties to Richmond, shares stories and research from her film-in-progress, reflecting on both the legacy of these musical pioneers and the neighborhood that shaped them—a place now under threat from gentrification and urban erasure. After the talk, join us in the Richmond Public Library’s Memory Lab for a tour, light personal digitization, and the opportunity to contribute your own story to a growing oral history project.