Below is a detailed listing of the programs and other offerings by the Library of
Virginia related to African American History during February 2008.
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2008 NOTABLE AFRICAN AMERICANS IN VIRGINIA HISTORY
A Norfolk teacher who fought for equal pay for black and white teachers and a
nationally known tap dancer who was born and raised in Richmond are among
the eight notable African Americans in Virginia featured on the Library of
Virginia's Web site under “spotlight” on the main page: (www.lva.virginia.gov/).
This marks the second year that the Library has observed African American
History Month by providing information about remarkable individuals who are
included in the Library of Virginia's Dictionary of American Biography program.
The educational resources and biographies provide glimpses into the lives and
life works of these important Virginians. Each biography is supported by lesson
plans based on the Virginia Standards of Learning and additional resources. In
this list can be found educators, a minister, a musician, a dancer, and a
physician and civil rights advocate. Famous names and everyday heroes grace
this list, each contributing to the rich fabric of Virginia history. The biographies
are based on the Library’s multivolume reference work The Dictionary of
Virginia Biography.
This year’s honorees include:
• Blind Billy (ca. 1805-1855), Lynchburg, a military musician
• Fields Cook (ca. 1817-1897), Richmond and Alexandria, Baptist
minister and Republican Party leader
• John Wesley Cromwell (1846-1927), Alexandria and Portsmouth,
educator and journalist
• Janie Porter Barrett (1865-1948), Hampton and Hanover Co.,
educator
• Edna Meade Colson (1888-1985), Petersburg, educator
• Percy Corbin (1888-1952), Pulaski Co., civil rights advocate
• Aline Black (1906-1974), Norfolk, teacher who was a principal in a
case to equalize the salaries of black and white teachers
• Pleasants “Snowball” Crump (1905-1995), Richmond, dancer
BOOK TALK AND LECTURE
Thursday, February 07, 2008
An African Republic: Black and White Virginians in the Making of Liberia
Time: Noon–1:00PM
FREE EVENT
Marie Tyler-McGraw will discuss and sign An African Republic, which traces the
parallel but divergent tracks of black and white Virginians’ interest in African
colonization. She follows the experiences of the emigrants from Virginia to
Liberia, where some became the leadership class, consciously seeking to
demonstrate black abilities, while others found greater hardship and early
death. The 19th century American Colonization Society (ACS) project of
persuading all American free blacks to emigrate to the ACS colony of Liberia
could never be accomplished. Few free blacks volunteered, and greater
numbers would have overwhelmed the meager resources of the ACS. No state
was more involved with the project than Virginia, where white Virginians
provided much of the political and organizational leadership and black
Virginians provided a majority of the emigrants.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Remembering Richmond’s Tommy Edwards and “It’s All in the Game”
Time: Noon–1:00 PM
Place: Conference Rooms
FREE EVENT
Donald W. Gunter, assistant editor with the Dictionary of Virginia Biography,
will give a multimedia presentation on singer and songwriter Tommy Edwards.
By the time Edwards graduated from high school he was hosting a 15-minute
music program that aired twice weekly on WRNL, a Richmond radio station. He
moved to New York and had success with his songs being recorded by Tony
Bennett and Red Foley. In 1950 Edwards signed with MGM Records and in July
1951 had his first hit with “The Morningside of the Mountain." He followed up
with another hit when "It's All in the Game" peaked at number 18. In 1958 he
recorded "It's All in the Game" as a rock-and-roll ballad and the recording went
to the top of the Billboard chart, where it remained for six weeks. The
recording eventually sold three and a half million records. Gunter’s
presentation will include short clips of Edwards’ music.
IN EXHIBITION: CENSUS RECORDS AND COHABITION REGISTER OF FORMER
SLAVES IN PRINCE EDWARD AND ARLINGTON COUNTIES, 1865 – 1866
Currently on display in the lobby of the Library of Virginia are the originals of
two of the Library’s important holdings from Local Records: a sheet from the
Register of Colored Persons of Prince Edward County, Virginia, Cohabiting
Together as Husband and Wife on February 27th, 1866, and the partial Census
Returns of the Colored Population of Arlington County, 1865, recently
discovered in the back of a volume of Civil War-era General Court Martial
records.
These records are critical for anyone interested in the emergence of so many
African Americans from hundreds of years of slavery into the new and hopeful
period of early freedom. The Library of Virginia has thirteen cohabitation
registers in its collection from the counties of Augusta, Culpeper, Floyd,
Fluvanna, Goochland, Henry, Louisa, Lunenburg, Prince Edward, Richmond,
Roanoke, Surry, and Warren. There are four colored population schedules in
its collection from the localities of Alexandria, Lynchburg, Rappahannock and
Roanoke. Copies of these records--or the originals if copies are not available--
may be viewed in the Library's reading rooms.
The documents are on display until February 29.
FIND IT VIRGINIA - “BIOGRAPHY RESOURCE CENTER: AFRICAN AMERICANS”
In recognition of African American History Month, Find It Virginia has
added “Biography Resource Center: African Americans” to all Find It Virginia
public library accounts for the month of February 2008. Find It Virginia is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and a Virginia public library card is the
only requirement to use these resources. Virginians can visit their local public
library to register for a library card. Visit http://www.finditva.com/cgi-
bin/main.cgi.
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To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
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