Latest news with #ReginaMobley
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Seven Virginia governors to take on racism and reconciliation
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The chains were invisible, but they effectively disenfranchised the descendants of enslaved African Americans or Negros — in the best of times — as they were called during the Jim Crow era. Attorney Thurgood Marshall and other Black lawyers challenged local school boards that enforced segregation in public schools. The case, known as Brown v. Board of Education, would change the course of history for a country that was built on the backs of slaves. On May 17, 1954, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. A month later, the child who would become Virginia's 71st governor was born. In an exclusive interview with WAVY-TV 10's Regina Mobley, former Gov. Bob McDonnell talked about his early memories of the Jim Crow era. Regina Mobley: Tell me your memories of segregation in America. Do you remember seeing signs that said white only or colored only? Bob McDonnell: I do. As a young kid, I grew up in, Northern Virginia, right by Mount Vernon. and, I remember seeing those facilities. I couldn't understand that, colored only because even though Brown v Board was handed down some of the Black Codes, the Jim Crow laws, you're right. Did not end until 1964. I do remember those signs. I couldn't really understand it. Regina Mobley: I was born in 1961, I would say around 1971, when we lived we lived near the Norfolk Naval Base, we would be outside jumping rope or whatever, and a car would speed by and someone would yell what is now called the N-word and speed away with a loud squeal. Bob McDonnell: Well first, I'm sorry that you lived in a country that was like that. That's completely contrary to the founding ideals, completely contrary to the words of [Thomas] Jefferson of the Declaration, although he wrote it and then went home and had 500 or 600 enslaved people at Monticello. That includes Sally Hemmings, who was the mother of some of Jefferson's children. The governor then viewed a portion of a now-viral video of a young mother who recently hurled the racial slur at a 5-year old boy who purportedly had his hands in her diaper bag. She then said the world repeatedly as a bystander, with a video camera, confronted the young mother. 'We got a long way to go there,' McDonnell said. 'Thank God, though if you if you look at where we were in 1954 compared to today, I think any honest person would say we've come a long way, but videos like that show that the laws cannot necessarily change the hearts and minds of people.' On the 71st anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, seven Virginia governors will discuss racial progress and the future of education quality and equality. 'So, you know, we're a nation of contrasts,' McDonnell said. 'But the thing that I like about what we're trying to do is to talk honestly about the painful past, admit that it was Virginia governors that started this. My predecessor, George Yardley, in 1619, is the guy right over here at Fort Monroe, the colonial British governor that accepted the 19 Negroes in exchange for rations off the White Lion slave ship, and that is what started the enslavement.' The event is hosted by Virginians for Reconciliation and Virginia Commonwealth University. 'Education is the great equalizer,' McDonnell said, 'that if kids have equally good educations, they're going to be able to compete equally in the marketplace of ideas and the marketplace for jobs, and that's how this ultimate goal of equal opportunity in society comes to pass.' The event is free and open to the public. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Spirit of Norfolk returns to Hampton Roads after 2022 fire
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – After a near three-year hiatus, the Spirit of Norfolk returns to the seas as the boat was christened Wednesday morning. The boat had been out of commission since June 2022, after a fire broke out on the cruise ship while a whole bunch of school children were onboard. No one was injured but the boat burned for three days. Carnival cruises brought the ship Mount Vernon to Hampton Roads, which acted as the primary cruise ship until the Spirit of Norfolk's return. 10 On Your Side's Regina Mobley said that Norfolk's mayor, Kenny Alexander, was a part of the festivities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
