VIA Heritage Association Virtual Event
A group of high school students at a VIA convening. From Virginia State University Special Collections and Archives.
Welcome to the VIA Heritage Association virtual event! While we cannot gather in-person this year due to COVID-19, we’ve designed this virtual presentation to celebrate the inductees and foster a virtual sense of community.
Photo above: From Virginia State University Special Collections and Archives.
Remarks from the Vice Chair
Vice chair and interim historian Lucious Edwards reminds us of the rich history of our organization. He briefly recaps the history of the Virginia public school system and the evolution of the training school method for Black students.
Keynote Speaker Josette Walker
Our keynote speaker, Josette Walker, the Vice President of the Concerned Citizens of Booker T. Washington High School, addresses the importance of the Black high schools becoming Virginia historical landmarks.
Inductees
Congratulations to all of the 2020 VIAHA Hall of Fame inductees, their families, and loved ones. We honor your legacies and recognize the important contributions you made to paving the way for those who came after you. While we can not celebrate in person at this moment, we look forward to hopefully gathering in-person to celebrate these accomplishments one day.
Arthur Ashe, Jr.
Maggie L. Walker High
Richmond, VA
Tennis
Harold Deane, Sr.
Lucy Addison High
Roanoke, VA
Coach
Dr. Carolyn Rudd
G.W. Carver High
Chesterfield County, VA
Corporate Executive
Donald Culpepper
Dunbar High
Lynchburg, VA
Basketball
Robert W. Johnson
Based in
Lynchburg, VA
Coach
Dr. Melvin Stith
Central High
Sussex County, VA
Academic Administrator
Wheeler Hughes
Dunbar High
Lynchburg, VA
Basketball
Carnis Poindexter
Lucy Addison High
Roanoke, VA
Coach
Rev. Andrew “Jack” White
Beverly Allen High
West Point, VA
Baptist Minister
Willie Lanier
Maggie L. Walker High
Richmond, VA
Football
Afemo Omilami
Petersburg High
Petersburg, VA
Actor
Jonathan Williams
Peabody High
Petersburg, VA
Musician
Sprinkles of Joy from Recent Years
Click on an image to make it larger.
Spreading the Word About the VIA
The Virginia Interscholastic Association (VIA) research and dissemination has made great strides this year. In the spirit of the original VIA, there is a highly effective collaboration among scholars across various institutions committed to documenting and sharing the history of the VIA.
Commemorating History
Click images to enlarge
Within the past decade, many efforts have been made to establish physical markers to acknowledge the history of the all-Black high schools.
Jackson P. Burley High School committed to start working on their monument wall in 2016, and it was completed and unveiled in 2018. From students to staff and faculty, the wall honors all who contributed to the success of the high school from 1951-1967. The "mighty burley bears" will never be forgotten.
The Lucy Addison High School monument wall was unveiled in 2015. Several hundred former faculty and staff, alumni, friends and family came to see the piece of Roanoke history be displayed.
In 2012, the Dunbar High School Memorial Wall was erected to commemorate the high school, demolished in 1979. A plaque once laid there to mark the existence and significance of Lynchburg, Virginia’s only all-Black high school. The new memorial wall has a more prominent and visible location where the main classroom once was.
The Carver 4-County Museum opened in 2019 after the relentless work of the George Washington Carver Alumni Association to establish a memorial to the high school. The high school educated thousands of African American children from Orange, Madison, Culpepper, and Rappahannock counties.
School Spotlight:
Carter G. Woodson High School
Blast from the Past
As you watch the video below, listen to the song by Jonathan Williams, 2020 Class of the VIAHA Hall of Fame Inductee, "Every Time I Fall in Love." The music was generously provided with permission by Jonathan Williams.
Thank you to J. Maurice Hopkins for photos of Arthur Ashe, Jr. and Willie Lanier.
As we celebrate this year’s inductees, we’d also like to take a moment to reflect on our long history in and beyond the state of Virginia. The impact of our members is long lasting and felt throughout this entire country. If you have any additional archival materials (photos, videos, pamphlets, etc.) please consider emailing them to viastory@teachingforchange.org so that we can continue to preserve our rich history. Additionally, if you’re sheltering at home with your loved ones and would like to record a video of you talking about anything relating to the VIAHA, we would love to have that material as well for future presentations and our archives.
Thank you so much for celebrating with us! We look forward to a time when we can all meet in-person again. Take care and stay well!