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Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Resilience Amid Resistance': New marker reveals Virginia's fraught journey to school integration
Two graduates of Rockingham County Public Schools joined plaintiffs in two key lawsuits that led to the desegregation of schools in Virginia, unveiling a new state marker to tell their stories. Pictured from left are Pria Dua, Charles Alexander, Bett Kilby and Elizabeth Kidd. (Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury) A state historical marker titled 'Resilience Amid Resistance' now stands on the Western District U.S. Courthouse grounds in Harrisonburg, where a Virginia judge twice upheld the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to desegregate schools in America, allowing local Black students to attend white schools and access an equal education. Betty Kilby was the lead plaintiff in one of the Virginia cases stemming from localities' failure to comply with the high court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling, part of the state's Massive Resistance policy to buck desegregation, history referenced in the marker unveiled on Saturday. At the unveiling ceremony, Kilby said that when her father James Wilson lost his land and lived an enslaved lifestyle, he vowed his children would have a better life and fought in court to get them an education equal in quality to that of the white children in Warren County, where the family lived. A judge ruled in the family's favor, ordering Kilby's local high school to be integrated, according to a personal narrative Kilby shared with the American Psychological Association. Although the state then closed the school for six months to delay Black and white pupils learning together, the Virginia Supreme Court dismantled Massive Resistance in January 1959 and the school reopened, with Kilby and 22 other Black students attending at first by themselves and then alongside white students. Attending the desegregated school from 8th grade to her senior year was traumatic and intimidating, Kilby recalled at the event, saying she had been called names and was attacked by white students. 'It was pretty consistent all five years, and it got worse in my senior year because my whole attitude changed,' said Kilby. 'I didn't care whether I lived or died.' The marker's unveiling in the city of Harrisonburg fell on the anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The emblem of Virginia's fraught educational history was the brainchild of two then-high school students, as part of the Farmville Tour Guides Project. The project's goal is to connect modern-day students with the stories of students who lived through the turbulent Civil Rights Era and paved the way for generations of integrated education. 'We wanted to keep going solely for the reason of continuing to be able to share their story,' said Pria Dua, a Rockingham County Public Schools graduate, adding that she and her collaborators wanted to make the monumental court desegregation decisions a permanent symbol. Elizabeth Kidd, a Rockingham County graduate who worked with Dua, said the two met many 'incredible people' during the research process. She said it was only fitting to support telling their stories. 'A lot of them, still today, are still trying to get their story out there, or make known this history that happened and I think the marker was kind of just like sitting there for us as a way for us to keep working,' Kidd said. Although it was a lengthy process, Kidd and Dua said one of the keys to installing the marker was the support they received — from the community, lawmakers including U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt, and the Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which approved the manufacture and installation of the historical marker last September. Virginia has more than 2,600 state markers, which are primarily maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, according to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, except in those localities outside of VDOT's authority. Rocktown History, a museum, archive and genealogy library, covered the unspecified costs of the marker. According to the Department of Historic Resources, the cost to create a marker is approximately $3,000. For localities outside of VDOT's jurisdiction, there is a $415 charge for the post. The students worked with Harrisonburg City Council, judges at the federal court, Virginia Board of Education member and former Virginia Secretary of Education Anne Holton and Kaine to obtain approval for the marker to be placed on federal property. The Farmville Tour Guides Project, the student-led independent study that has operated for over a year and one of the driving forces behind the new marker, allows students to explore Virginia's Civil Rights history through accounts of figures like Barbara Johns. In 1951, Johns led a student strike at R.R. Moton High School in Prince Edward County in protest of the unequal conditions of her segregated school. The protest, along with lawsuits by the NAACP, were crucial to the success of the Brown v. Board of Education case. Joan Johns Cobbs, a Moton student striker, plaintiff in the Brown v. Board case and the sister of the late Barbara Johns, was one of several guests at Saturday's ceremony. Other guests included Charles Alexander, the youngest plaintiff in the Allen v. Charlottesville case, in which federal judge John Paul Jr. issued the first school desegregation order in the commonwealth to favor the NAACP against Charlottesville City Public Schools. Alexander is a member of the 'Charlottesville 12,' named for the first 12 Black students who attended the city's all-white public schools in 1959. Ann Rhodes Baltimore, the first Black graduate of a desegregated school in Virginia, was also present. With cases of Black history being omitted or minimized in school curricula, Alexander told the Mercury before Saturday's marker unveiling, it's important to continue passing on such historical stories of segregation and discrimination. He hopes the public would remember the story of his fellow plaintiffs, similar to that of Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to desegregate an all-white school in the South. 'We just didn't all of a sudden appear; there were folks that sacrificed, gave up their jobs and made a commitment for this to come about, and so we need to share that,' Alexander said. The Farmville Tour Guides Project also stemmed from a desire for students to learn about Black Virginians' historic struggle for equal educational opportunity. The project was founded in 2015 by Beau Dickenson, supervisor of history studies at Rockingham County Public Schools, and history teacher Owen Longacre at Spotswood High School in Rockingham County. Dickenson said both educators were surprised to see that the Moton story was not covered in Virginia's public education curriculum, which spurred them into action. 'We just thought that that was such a tragic shame given the significance of that event,' Dickenson said. 'It felt like it had been omitted from history. So we wanted to amplify that story, but we also because of the nature of that story thought this has to be something different than just a field trip. This needs to be something that's active and engaged.' Dua and Kidd also worked with three other students on the Knocking Down Walls documentary about school desegregation featured nationally on Good Morning America. Holton, the event's keynote speaker, said amid the concerns and questions about how students are doing in Virginia's public schools, students like Dua and Kidd are examples of incredible work pupils in the state are undertaking. Holton is the daughter of former Gov. Linwood Holton, who ended Massive Resistance in Virginia. 'I'm going to be at a Board of Education meeting next week (and) I'm going to tell them that the kids are all right,' Holton said. ' The future is in great hands, and these incredible teachers — this is public education at its best.' Holton also talked about the courage of the plaintiffs, the attorneys, and judges in desegregation cases. She said judges were threatened and one even had a cross burned in front of their home, a once-common practice of the white supremacist terror group, the Ku Klux Klan. Holton said she hopes judges in Harrisonburg, and nationwide, 'will be inspired by this marker every day as they walk past it going into the courthouse and courthouses like it all across the country to that resilience amid resistance that we all need to have that's so crucial to what makes our country work.' Saturday's unveiling, hosted by Rockingham County Public Schools, Rocktown History, and the City of Harrisonburg, was capped off with students from the Farmville Tour Guides Project presenting a companion exhibition on the fight for school equality across Virginia at the Moton Museum in Farmville, formerly the high school where Johns led the historic student protest. Dickenson said the exhibit showcases how students are engaging in civic life and using history to inform action. Cainan Townsend, executive director for the Moton Museum, said the efforts by area students to apply for the marker, develop a museum exhibit and seek out historical information have been impressive. 'I think it's really young people deciding that our history is more than battle sites,' Townsend said. 'Our history is more than just these 10, 15 (and) 20 people you think are important. There are important stories from all parts of Virginia, and by increasing the volume and the diversity of these historical markers, I think that's a great way to show that.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Doubt comes to Bengaluru, courtesy Poochu's Productions
Have you ever been beset by uncertainty over what you have always known to be true? Doubt written by John Patrick Shanley in 2004, puts human relationships and emotions under an unforgiving microscope, and this weekend, Chennai-based Poochu's Productions brings this play to Bengaluru. Set in Chicago in 1964, Doubt is centred around accusations of an inappropriate relationship between a Catholic priest and a child. Denver Anthony Nicholas, who has directed this adaptation, says the reason this play was chosen was, 'the way it allowed the audience to make their own decision.' He adds that Doubt does not tell you who is right or wrong, 'it just leaves you in the grey area of assumptions and accusations.' 'What makes Doubt different is that it not only brings about the awareness of an issue, but also an awareness of the people involved.' Denver elaborates how the mother of the child in the play ponders if the priest is at fault or 'if it was in her son's nature'. It is an interesting, insightful take on human behaviour and perception, says the director. Though there are layers to the script crafted around the Civil Rights Era, Denver says it is the mother's observation that cemented the choice of play for him and lead actor Karthik TM. The duo, who pored over scores of scripts, decided against an Indian adaptation or contextualisation of Doubt when they finally settled on it. With Doubt set in a certain time period, other iterations of this play have seen adaptations of Indian characters to fit the narrative. 'This was something I didn't want to do because I believe 99 out of 100 theatre-goers are sensible people who will understand the setting in which the script was penned,' says Denver. And even though Doubt is positioned in the context of a Catholic setup, the questions it throws up are applicable to any human circumstance and situation. 'It makes you doubt everything about human relationships,' he adds. 'Doubt requires more courage than conviction does, and more energy; because conviction is a resting place and doubt is infinite,' reads the preface to Doubt by playwright John Patrick Shanley and sets the tone for the play which runs for 90 minutes. The play is tightly knit with performances by Deepa Nambiar as Sister Aloysius, Father Flynn played by TM Karthik, Abinaya Ravindranathan as Sister James and Dakshana Rajaram as Mrs Muller. Doubt by Poochu's Productions will be staged at Ranga Shankara on May 18 at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. Open to those aged 16 and above. Tickets on BookMyShow.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Trial date set for TN man accused of arson at historic Highlander Center
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Tennessee man charged with setting fire to an education center that trained civil rights leaders like Rosa Parks and John Lewis in 2019 was indicted on Wednesday. The 27-year-old pleaded not guilty in federal court on Thursday and a trial date has been set for later this year. Regan Prater faces one count of arson and one count of carrying an explosive device during the commission of the arson in connection to the fire that destroyed the Highlander Research and Education Center in Jefferson County. He remains in federal custody pending trial, which has been scheduled for July 15 in United States District Court in Knoxville. Car burglaries strike fear into Sevier County neighborhood If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the arson charge and an additional 10 years for the explosive charge. Investigators say Prater used an homemade explosive to firebomb the center's administrative building on March 29, 2019. Officials said the fire destroyed decades of historic documents, speeches, artifacts, and memorabilia from the Civil Rights Era and other social movements. An affidavit filed in federal court says posts made by Prater in several group chats affiliated with white supremacist groups link him to the Highlander Center fire. Court documents also allege he was inspired by the March 2019 mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand. A white-power symbol was found spray-painted on the pavement of a parking lot at the site of the fire, the same symbol that appeared on the Christchurch gunman's rifle. Prater was previously sentenced to five years in federal prison for setting fire to an adult video store in Manchester, Tennessee in June 2019. ▶ See more top stories on The Highlander Center was founded in Monteagle in 1932 before moving to New Market in 1971. The nonprofit organization educated many of the Civil Rights Movement's most important figures, including John Lewis and Rosa Parks. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a keynote address for the school's 25th anniversary celebration in 1957. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dan Rather's Post About Donald Trump Is Going Mega Viral
If you are over the age of 30, then I'm sure you know who Dan Rather is. Buuut if you're, like, really young, Dan Rather is a renowned journalist and former anchor of the CBS Evening News where he covered everything from the Vietnam War to the Civil Rights Era to 9/11. He's 93 now and keeps active on social media. His latest post on Donald Trump is doing some serious numbers on Facebook. Your MSNBC parents are loving it. Here's his latest post: The comments are popping off. We have, "I don't know whether to laugh, cry or scream!" Another person said, "My daughter used to be afraid of clowns. Here is one we can all be afraid of." And this person joked, "A circus is too kind. It's a swamp with a swamp thing." Ciao!
Buzz Feed
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Dan Rather's Post About Donald Trump Is Going Mega Viral
If you are over the age of the 30, then I'm sure you know who Dan Rather is. Buuut if you're, like, really young, Dan Rather is a renowned journalist and former anchor of the CBS Evening News where he covered everything from the Vietnam War to the Civil Rights Era to 9/11. He's 93 now and keeps active on social media. His latest post on Donald Trump is doing some serious numbers on Facebook. Your MSNBC parents are loving it. We have, "I don't know whether to laugh, cry or scream!" Dan Rather/ Facebook: theDanRather
