Examine the lives of local women who played a role in the Civil Rights Movement in a new exhibit at Swem Library at the College of William & Mary.
“Peninsular Women: Making a Difference” opened in late February and features the work of several students at the College. It tells the story of community members who have contributed and are still contributing to improving the quality of life in the area.
The exhibit is a product of a course taught in the fall by Jody Allen, managing director of William & Mary’s Lemon Project.
The Lemon Project – named for a man once enslaved by the college in the 1800s – examines the school’s past and present relationship with the African American community.
Allen’s class “Out of the Shadows: Women of the Civil Rights Movement” considered the women responsible for creating change at the local level during the era. Eight students studied women from all over the country, but their final project focused on local forces behind changing society.
“The students discovered that all of these women are/were steadfast in their commitment to their community,” Allen said in a news release. “They worked diligently and often quietly to make a difference and we are all benefiting from their contributions.”
The women featured in the exhibit include Jessie Rattley, former mayor of Newport News, and Norvleate Downing-Gross, activist and director of the Office of Human Affairs of Hampton Roads who is remembered for creating housing opportunities and job training for African Americans in the area.
Also highlighted are Clara Byrd Baker, Alleyne Blayton, Miriam Carter, Edith Heard, Mary Peake and Eula Radcliffe. All but one of the subjects are deceased, but students interviewed family members – in addition to Swem’s Special Collections resources of microfilm, oral histories and primary sources – to write biographies of the local history-makers.
Edith Heard remains active in the community, and was present at the exhibit.
“Peninsular Women: Making a Difference” is on display in the Read and Relax area on the first floor of Swem through May 17.
The exhibit was designed by Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Specialist, with assistance from Andrew Cavell, SCRC Graphics Assistant, Katie Sullivan, Undergraduate Student Assistant, and Anna Wallace, Undergraduate Student Assistant.
