African American Committee
Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia
African American History Committee
African American History Committee
Chair: Email Charlotte Wood
The only group in Chesterfield County devoted to researching African-American history. Your generous tax deductible donation will help fund the ongoing work of this committee and will be greatly appreciated.
African American Schools In Chesterfield County
During the committee’s Four Score and More interviewing of our senior residents, we were dismayed and saddened to learn about the non-existence history of African-American schools in Chesterfield County. In addition, there is also evidence of undocumented schools. Therefore, further research is imperative to identify these undocumented school sites with markers. With that noteworthy discovery, the committee agreed to pursue this challenge head-on. Thus, the beginning of our work to research the undocumented early African-American schools in Chesterfield County.
This collection contains images and information from the African-American Schools in Chesterfield County During the Segregated Era Exhibit presented by the African-American History Committee of the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia.The schools represented in the Exhibit operated in an era when the official doctrine of “Separate, But Equal” education was implemented as “Separate, and Unequal.” In presenting this Exhibit, the African-American History Committee acknowledges and honors the parents, teachers, administrators and staff who supported these schools for 100 years. The Exhibit was presented in the Chesterfield County Museum, and was originally planned to run from February 2014 through July 2014. However, the exhibit was extended into 2016 because of its popularity, and because of the very positive public response. This exhibit can be viewed in person at the Chesterfield Historical Society Public Library located in Historic Trinity Church, 10111 Iron Bridge Rd in the conference room. Mon-Fri 10AM-4PM.
Unveiling Ceremony for Cornelius Mimms Exhibit at the County Museum hosted a permanent exhibit honoring Mimms.
Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker
Chesterfield County renamed the Enon Library and dedicated the building in honor of the late pastor, humanitarian, theologian, and cultural historian Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker. Dr. Walker is best known for his tenure as chief of staff to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He previously had served as president of the Petersburg chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and as state director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He was also a founder of the Virginia Council on Human Relations, a biracial group working for desegregation. In 1961, Dr. Walker and his wife, Theresa, volunteered as Freedom Riders in an effort to enforce the Interstate Commerce Act, which declared that segregation in interstate transportation facilities was illegal. “To say that this gentleman lives in the Bermuda district of Chesterfield County in Virginia — that speaks volumes for Chesterfield County,” Kimberly Conley, assistant director for Chesterfield County’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said. See the video Renaming the Enon Library
Other Notes and Videos
Mrs. Florence Malone Smith passed away this week at the age of 99. See her memoirs here.
Films of Chesterfield County African American History
Chesterfield County's Segregated Schools of the 60's. See the Film - See the Museum Four Score and More exhibit in pictures. Once the photos are visible, use the left and right arrows to navigate. You can also click on a photo to enlarge it.
- See the Film: The African-American History Committee of the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia - A brief explanation of the African-American History Committee of the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia.
- See the film on the Pleasant View School Marker Dedication Ceremony. marker dedication