In this exhibit you can explore the different phases of Solitude’s history. We begin during the period when this place was indigenous land, and go on to explore its history as a slave plantation in the nineteenth century.
BLACK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE 1960S AND BEYOND
By 1961, off-campus housing provided by the Hoge family was no longer required, as Black students were now permitted to live on campus. James Whitehurst was the first black student to live on campus. After leaving the football team due to racial barriers and obstacles, Whitehurst filed a grievance with the Civil Rights Office of Washington DC. This was the second injunction filed by Whitehurst and the University granted him permission to live on campus as a result. However, Whitehurst was not assigned a typical dorm room. Instead, he was assigned an entire bay of Lane Hall to share with a resident advisor.
Linda Adams Hoyle, 1968. An oral history with Hoyle can be found here
Living on campus did not mean that Black students were now separate from the black community of Blacksburg. Although now more physically separate, black students continued to attend dances, church gatherings, and other social events hosted by black families in the community. Many students were introduced into the black community through connections and friendships they made with black employees of Virginia Tech. Linda Edmund Turner and Freddie Hairston, two of the first black women to attend Virginia Tech, fondly remember the support they received from black cooks who worked in their dorm building. They would save Linda and Freddie’s favorite dishes and even cooked special meals for Freddie after she injured her teeth in a game of football. Linda recalls the words of praise they would offer,
“We're just so proud of you. Just so proud of you. Just get your lessons, and don't let these folks bother you." They would say, "Get your lessons! Get your lessons! Study hard. We know it's probably hard, but you guys are the first!"
Linda Edmonds Turner, 1967. An oral history with Dr. Turner can be found here
Other black students at the time had similar experiences. Jackie Blackwell and Linda Adams Hoyle both remember close friendships with several black maids in their dorm, including Belle Snell, whose family remained closely connected with black students for years afterwards. When recalling her relationship with another black maid, Mrs. Jackson, Hoyle described her as “extended family” and a “mother figure”.
Groove Phi Groove, 1971
James Watkins, 1977. An oral history with Dr. Watkins can be found here
Ad in Alice for Black history course, with transportation provided from Blacksburg, 1968
Ad in 1968 Alice, transportation was provided to the class from Blacksburg
As the enrollment of black students began to increase in the late 1960s, students were now able to find a similar sense of community and kinship among fellow students. The first black student organization, Groove Phi Groove, was established in 1968 and played a key role in fostering connections with black students at other local universities. One of Groove’s founding members, James Darnell Watkins, fondly remembers the role Groove played in community building,
“All of the students coming from Radford and Roanoke College were coming to Groove Phi Groove events. We were meeting them through those things. We would have dances, Groove Phi Groove dances, at least once a month that were attended by other people.”
The presence of more black students at Virginia Tech and other local colleges did not signal the end of the relationship between black students and black town residents. In fact, the Groove house was located directly across the street from the Snell family, whose son, Sydney, would go on to join Groove himself while attending Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech students also made efforts to educate the community on racial topics. Mark Crowley was vital in the establishment of the Christiansburg Community Center, which offered courses in black history to local residents free of charge. Alice, an underground newspaper operated by Virginia Tech students for several years in the late 60s and early 70s, routinely advertised the black history course. Originally only taught in summer in place of usual tutoring services, the black history course was offered for years and facilitated difficult conversations on race for many local residents.
This spirit of Ut Prosim continued into the 1970s and 1980s, as black greek organizations devoted time and resources into the local community. Members of Black fraternities and sororities would routinely volunteer at local churches, tutor high school students, and regularly meet with local leaders in the black community. One such example came in 1985, when Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. sponsered a buffet in celebration of Black History Month at Schaeffer Memorial Baptist Church in Christiansburg.
Virginia Tech made a concerted effort to keep students and faculty apprised of local Black news. In the 1980's the office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action established the Minority Newsletter, a publication that highlighted Black student and faculty achievements, Black organizations' events, and news pertaining to the Black community around the state of Virginia. In the 1990s, the Minority Newsletter became Diversity News, a similar publication that featured news from all historically underrepresented groups at Virginia Tech.
In the 1990s, Lucinda Roy helped start Project CI (Christiansburg Institute), which gave students the opportunity to help renovate Christiansburg Institute into a community learning center. Virginia Tech students conducted focus groups and asked community members about their access to transportation to CI, as well as what type of educational programs, such as computer literacy, they would benefit from most. This partnership between the Service-Learning Center at Virginia Tech and CI sparked several joint projets, all with the goal to "link students and faculty from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds... to preserve the historical and cultural significance of CI as well as carry forward CI's mission of educational equity."
Article from May 1985 Minority Newsletter, detailing upcoming Black History Month Community Events
Each Minority Newsletter and Diversity News issue would feature an "Around the State" section, which highlighted minority related news from colleges and universities across Virginia.
Christiansburg Institute on the cover of Diversity News, Fall 1998
Publications would also feature a "Community Information" section, which detailed minority news in the local area. In this 1986 issue, readers learn that a local black business has changed its name from Ebony Salon to Hair World.
In 1982, the NAACP chapter at Virginia Tech was established, and black students have continued to serve as powerful voices in the fight for racial equality in Blacksburg. The need for such a voice came in 1991, when the Klu Klux Klan marched through the streets of Blacksburg. In hopes to divert attention away from the march, Virginia Tech hosted the “Celebration of Unity”, a service honoring Martin Luther King Jr. The service featured speeches from NAACP member Mark Walker, and Black Organizations Council chair, Randy Lucas. In just a few years since the first black student enrolled at Virginia Tech, black students had transitioned from recipients of intraracial support into public advocates for change.
NAACP in 1984 Bugle
The NAACP was the largest black organization on campus, with 115 members in 1983
Protestor at KKK march through downtown Blacksburg, 1991
Randy Lucas, Chair of Black Organization Council, speaks in Burruss Hall, Jan. 20, 1991
