Browse Items (373 total)

Chesterfield County

Mary Willing Byrd preserved her children's property during the American Revolution and eloquently defended herself against charges of loyalism.

Charles City County

Mary Jeffery Galt helped found the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.

Norfolk

An acclaimed lyric soprano and the first African American to receive a contract from a major American opera company, Camilla Ella Williams was a pioneer for black artists in classical music.

Danville

An enslaved man, Blind Billy was a renowned Lynchburg fifer.

Lynchburg

Born into slavery, Fields Cook became a prominent African American leader in Richmond and Alexandria in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Richmond and Alexandria

Born into slavery, John Wesley Cromwell went on to become an attorney, educator, and publisher of the People's Advocate.

Portsmouth and Norfolk County

Civic leader and educator Janie Porter Barrett worked to improve the lives of African American women.

Hampton and Hanover County

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

Pulaski County

Educator Edna Meade Colson strove to improve educational opportunities for African Americans in Virginia.

Petersburg