INSIDER
Fayette Area Historical Initiative Museum leaders talk about exhibits honoring African Americans
Read full article: Fayette Area Historical Initiative Museum leaders talk about exhibits honoring African AmericansThe goal of FAHI volunteers, working with staff members from the VFH, is to collect, preserve and interpret the Fayette Street experience through recorded oral history, public forums and workshops, lectures and other special programs.
Family members of enslaved people at Buffalo Forge gifted cemetery
Read full article: Family members of enslaved people at Buffalo Forge gifted cemetery10 News introduced you to two lifelong friends in our Black History special last year about Buffalo Forge revealing enslaved people in Rockbridge County.
In your words: Here’s what you said Juneteenth means to you
Read full article: In your words: Here’s what you said Juneteenth means to youJuneteenth is coming up, this weekend in fact -- and for those who might be unfamiliar, the holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.
Event spotlights untold history of local Black Union soldiers leading up to Juneteenth
Read full article: Event spotlights untold history of local Black Union soldiers leading up to JuneteenthYou don’t have to be a history buff to get reeled into “Fighting for Freedom: Black Union Soldiers from Rockbridge”.
In your own words: What does Juneteenth mean to you?
Read full article: In your own words: What does Juneteenth mean to you?Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that all enslaved Black people learned they had been freed, is often celebrated by families across the nation -- with events including cookouts, parades or community festivals.
Burrell Memorial Hospital site honored with historical marker
Read full article: Burrell Memorial Hospital site honored with historical markerCity leaders unveiled Burrell Memorial Hospital’s historical marker Friday afternoon. The hospital opened in 1915 to serve Black patients and train Black nurses during segregation. Former Roanoke mayor Nelson Harris crafted the application for Burrell’s historical marker. “The legacy of Burrell Memorial Hospital is it was created during segregation, which made it an uphill battle for funding, acceptance, and recognition,” Harris said. “They did it, and they did it well.”The building which once housed the hospital is now Blue Ridge Behavioral Health at the Burrell Center.
Bill introduced to erect Booker T. Washington statue at State Capitol
Read full article: Bill introduced to erect Booker T. Washington statue at State CapitolRICHMOND, Va. – A state senator from Roanoke County hopes to immortalize famed author and orator Booker T. Washington with a permanent place at the State Capitol. Sen. David Suetterlein introduced Senate Resolution 95, which would start the process of planning a statue for Washington on Capitol Square. Washington was born a slave in Franklin County before becoming a leader in civil rights and founding the Tuskegee Institute. “I really believe that Booker T. Washington needs to be honored in Capitol Square,” Suetterlein told his fellow senators. “He’s a great American and a great Virginian, but Virginia doesn’t get enough credit as we should for this great Virginian that did so much for the country.”AdSuetterlein also sponsored a similar bill during last year’s legislative session, but it did not gain any traction in the General Assembly.
Two of the first Black women to attend Virginia Tech discuss their experience
Read full article: Two of the first Black women to attend Virginia Tech discuss their experienceBLACKSBURG, Va. – Six women broke the color barrier at Virginia Tech more than 50 years ago, and two of them talked about their time on campus on Friday. Inclusive VT hosted a forum with La Vernee Hairston Higgins and Marguerite Harper Scott as part of its “Unfinished Conversations” series. Higgins and Scott both enrolled at Virginia Tech in 1966. She said the adjustment to college life was difficult because of what she experienced in the classroom. “The hardest part for me was the faculty,” Higgins said.
‘We’re looking to get it right’: Monumental changes ahead for how Virginia students learn Black history
Read full article: ‘We’re looking to get it right’: Monumental changes ahead for how Virginia students learn Black historyNow, lessons on African American history aren’t going to start with slavery. Shifting the perspective was the main priority of the Virginia African American History Education Commission when it started in 2019. It was a wonderful collaboration of individuals all committed to really looking at our African American history through a different lens,” Edwards said. “For example, in Virginia history there was a greater emphasis on the great migration. The goal of the edits were to weave in African American history into American history instead of it being separate like it is in some cases during Black History Month.
Black history is American history: Challenging history education to reach beyond the classroom
Read full article: Black history is American history: Challenging history education to reach beyond the classroomROANOKE, Va. Black history is American history.Its the bold statement Eboni Harrington, a seventh-grade math teacher at Lucy Addison Middle School in Roanoke, lives by. Shes not the only one who is realizing how one-sided history is in Virginia education. She won Virginia Teacher of the Year for this region in 2017 and is now a member of the Virginia African American History Education Commission. Even as young as these students are, they recognize the value in more Black history and what it means for their future. The Virginia African American History Education Commission is still meeting via Zoom.