Virginia
African-American voting power peaked in the 1860s
Later this year, if all goes according to plan, two plaques will be erected in the Capitol commemorating a little-remembered chapter of Virginia history. The intent is to shed overdue light on a pivotal era in the Old Dominion’s tortured dealings with the legacy of slavery. The commemorative plaques approved by the 2012 General Assembly [...]
Study examines black Virginians’ economic outcomes
About 1.5 million Virginians, or about 19 percent of the state’s population, identify themselves as black or African-American, according to the 2010 census. Even among people with the same education level and number of hours worked, household income is substantially higher for white than black Virginians and the unemployment rate is higher for black Virginians, [...]
Virginia student told to “read blacker” by teacher
A lesson in poetry has turned into a lesson on racial sensitivity. A Falls Church High School teacher is now under investigation for comments she made to the only African American student in her class. Jordan Shumate is still in a state of shock over what he says his freshman English teacher told him to [...]
Bid to honor Va.’s black political pioneers hits snag
When Viola Baskerville was a delegate, she learned that just after the Civil War, African-Americans served in Virginia’s 1867-68 constitutional convention and as legislators for nearly 40 years during Reconstruction. She has since researched the legislators, among them men born into slavery, farmers and shoe repairmen. Now, as a member of the state’s Dr. Martin [...]
Jefferson’s Va estate highlights slaves’ stories
When Thomas Jefferson died, scores of slaves were sold from his Monticello plantation to settle his debts. Peter Fossett, 11, was among them, recalling that he was “born and reared as free, not knowing that I was a slave, then suddenly, at the death of Jefferson, put on an auction block and sold to strangers.” [...]
