Browse Items (47 total)

The first African American woman elected to the House of Delegates and to the Senate of Virginia, Yvonne B. Miller worked tirelessly as a politician, educator, and advocate for underrepresented Virginians.

Norfolk

Willie Lanier broke through racial barriers in professional football by becoming the first African American to play middle linebacker, the position that directs the defense on the field.

Richmond

A free African American before the Civil War, William Breedlove won election in 1867 to a convention called to rewrite Virginia's state constitution.

Essex

With "a decided taste for freedom," Sara Lucy Bagby was embroiled in a celebrated legal case that tested the infamous Fugitive Slave Act during the secession crisis.

Wheeling

Robert Walter Johnson was a driving force behind the integration of the sport of tennis.

Lynchburg

A self-taught dancer, Pleasants "Snowball" Crump performed for national and international audiences.

Richmond

Civil rights leader Percy Casino Corbin strove to bring equality to the school system in Pulaski, Virginia.

Pulaski County

Often recognized as the country's first African American filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux established a film office in Roanoke, where he produced at least six silent movies.

Roanoke

Oliver White Hill served as counsel in the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954.

Richmond

Born into slavery, Noah Davis raised more than $4,000 to free himself and his family members during the 1840s and 1850s.

Fredericksburg