With Good Reason

Passed at the height of the eugenics movement, the Racial Integrity Act proclaimed the existence of only two racial categories in Virginia—”colored” and white.  The law stripped Native Americans, and members of other groups with dark skin, of their land, voting rights, and legal identity.  David Smith (Longwood University) and anthropologist Helen Rountree (Old Dominion [...]

James Farmer was the leader of the 1961 Freedom Rides that desegregated transportation in the South. His skilled oratory was shaped in part as a member of the legendary 1935 debate team portrayed in Denzel Washington’s 2007 feature film, The Great Debaters. Timothy O’Donnell (University of Mary Washington) is leading an effort to help historically [...]

Poet Lucille Clifton is widely acclaimed for her powerful explorations of race, womanhood, and spirituality. This June she was honored by the Furious Flower Poetry Center (James Madison University), which brought together more than 40 teachers and scholars to examine the National Book Award-winner’s lifetime of contributions to American poetry.  Also: Hilary Holladay (Virginia Foundation [...]

In 1951, young Barbara Johns led a student walkout to protest conditions at the segregated Moton High School in Farmville, VA.  Her actions led to a lawsuit, one of a number that eventually helped strike down the doctrine of “separate but equal.”  Lacy Ward, Jr.  (Longwood University) is Director of the Robert Russa [...]

When Virginia’s fight against integration of the public schools failed, white families moved out of cities in droves and left behind social and physical scars that are still felt today.  Renee Hill (Virginia State University) and John Moeser (University of Richmond) discuss the history of “white flight” and its effect today on Richmond, Virginia, [...]

Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, presents the Jim Crow south through the eyes of a young girl.  Mary Badham, the actress who portrayed “Scout” in the film, shares memories of her fond relationship with actor Gregory Peck.  Gary Edgerton (Old Dominion University) and Ted McKosky (Radford University) explain why the film is [...]

Poet Lucille Clifton is widely acclaimed for her powerful explorations of race, womanhood, and spirituality. This June she was honored by the Furious Flower Poetry Center (James Madison University), which brought together more than 40 teachers and scholars to examine the National Book Award-winner’s lifetime of contributions to American poetry. Also: Hilary Holladay (Virginia Foundation [...]

In the summer of 2008, a statue honoring leaders of Virginia’s Civil Rights movement was dedicated on the grounds of Capitol Square in Richmond. One of the cast panels features Oliver W. Hill, an attorney who argued the landmark case Brown vs. the Board of Education… before the Supreme Court. Oliver Hill, Jr. [...]

In 1951, young Barbara Johns led a student walkout to protest conditions at her segregated Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia.  Her actions led to a lawsuit that eventually helped strike down the doctrine of “separate but equal.”  Lacy Ward (Longwood University) is Director of the Robert Russa Moton Museum.  He wants the museum to [...]

Each day most of us wave to a friend or gesture in a meeting with colleagues. Dance professor Karen Studd (George Mason University) sees patterns and language in all of these acts. She calls her system for observing, describing, notating, and understanding movement “Laban Movement Analysis.” Also: Choreographer and professor Benita Brown (Virginia State [...]