Posted on

Oliver Hill Papers

Oliver Hill Papers

Creator Oliver Hill, Sr.
Description Oliver Hill became part of the national conscience in 1948, when he won a seat on the Richmond City Council. In 1950 he was appointed a public member of the President’s Committee on Contract Compliance. Along with other prominent lawyers, he became co-counsel for many civil-rights lawsuits including Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County(1951)which became one of five cases collected under Brown v. Board of Education (1954)resulting in the decision that “separate but equal” facilities were unconstitutional. During the 1960s, Hill worked with the Federal Housing Commission and became partner in the firm of Hill, Tucker, and Marsh. Over the years, Hill also served on many boards and received numerous awards for his invaluable contributions to society. Oliver Hill passed away on August 5, 2007 in Richmond, Virginia. Unprocessed collection includes: newspaper articles, letters of correspondence, reports for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), lecture notes, and speeches.
Call number 2005. _ (incomplete/unassigned) Box 30
Date from 1954
Date to 1998
Geographic school Virginia
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no yes
Access restrictions Still in process, not yet available for research.
Part Of larger collection yes/no yes
Larger collection title
URL
Repository Virginia State University Library, Special Collections and Archives
Repository address Johnston Memorial Library, 1 Hayden Drive, Petersburg, VA 23806
Repository contact name Lucious Edwards
Repository contact title University Archivist
Repository contact email ledwards@vsu.edu
Repository contact phone (804) 524-5749
DoveRegion region5
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Topeka (Kan.). Board of Education–Trials, litigation, etc.

o    Prince Edward County (Va.). County School Board–Trials, litigation, etc.

o    Public schools–Virginia–Prince Edward County

o    Hill, Oliver W., 1907-2007

o    National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Types o    Clippings

o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents
Posted on

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of reporter Neal Strozier commenting on a public address by Virginal governor J. Lindsay Almond in Richmond, Virginia and on the recent integration of the previously all-white schools in Arlington County and Norfolk, Virginia, 1959 Fe

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of reporter Neal Strozier commenting on a public address by Virginal governor J. Lindsay Almond in Richmond, Virginia and on the recent integration of the previously all-white schools in Arlington County and Norfolk, Virginia, 1959 Fe

Creator WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)
Description Reporter: Strozier, Neal. In this WSB newsfilm clip from February 7, 1959, correspondent Neal Strozier speaking from Arlington County, Virginia, comments on the recent integration of the all-white schools in Arlington County and Norfolk, as well as a public address by governor J. Lindsay Almond in Richmond, Virginia. The clip begins with Strozier standing in front of Stratford Junior High School in Arlington County, Virginia as people enter the school. According to Strozier, twenty-one African American students began attending seven previously all-white schools in Norfolk and Arlington County, Virginia earlier that week. He reports that all seven of the schools are maintaining security precautions. While he speaks, the camera shows a uniformed policeman outside the school. The clip breaks and then shows Strozier again, this time standing in front of the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. While he speaks, the camera focuses on flags flying above the capitol building and on the legislative chamber and people inside it. Strozier commends the state for its “grace and dignity” during integration. He mentions a public address by governor J. Lindsay Almond on January 28 in which the governor “rejected extremist demands for obstruction at all cost.” For a few moments the clip shows Almond’s January 28 speech. Strozier begins speaking again; while he speaks, the camera returns to Stratford Junior High School in Arlington, Virginia. A policeman stands behind a “No trespassing” sign, and young women in winter clothing carry books and walk past reporters toward the school. African American students, three boys and one girl, get out of a car; the driver makes an adjustment before closing the door. Later the camera shows a Norfolk school where one African American student sits in a classroom with white students as the teacher walks back and forth in front of the classroom. Strozier, speaking again of Almond’s January 28th speech, relays the governor’s call for observance of federal law and for “keeping with Virginia’s tradition of peace and order.” Strozier confirms that local authorities in Arlington County have “shown every determination to keep peace and order” and that there white students are starting to accept their new African American peers. He also reports that schools in Norfolk, which had been closed for half a year to prevent integration are now attended by both white and African American students. While not every student has returned, he notes that those who are in school seem more interested in resuming their education than in the fact of integration. As the camera pans back to focus on Strozier, he states that police in Norfolk and in Arlington are prepared for racial incidents and praises the restraint shown in the communities. The clip audio breaks for a moment, after which Strozier comments that state and local officials surrendered “gracefully” after fighting to the end. He also notes that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) “has refrained from actively pushing integration further south in Virginia where feeling might have run higher.” He explains that both the African American community and white officials want to avoid the rioting and tension that occurred during the 1957 desegregation of Little Rock Central High School. The first lawsuit for school integration in Virginia was filed in 1951 in Prince Edward County. The case was eventually incorporated into the 1954 United States Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled against segregation in public education. State officials in Virginia, led by United States senator Harry Byrd, organized a plan of “massive resistance” by passing laws designed to prevent desegregation, including closing schools facing desegregation and providing tuition grants to private schools for displaced white students. In the fall of 1958, schools in Norfolk, Charlottesville, and Warren County, Virginia, were closed after the courts ordered the
Call number
Date from 1959 February 07
Date to 1959 February 07
Geographic school Arlington County and Norfolk, VA
Size 1 clip (about 2 min.)
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository The Civil Rights Digital Library
Repository address University of Georgia Libraries, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-1641
Repository contact name Dr. P. Toby Graham
Repository contact title Director, Digital Library of Georgia
Repository contact email tgraham@uga.edu
Repository contact phone (706) 583-0213
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Almond, J. Lindsay (James Lindsay), 1898-1986

o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    School children

o    School closings

o    School integration

o    School integration–Massive resistance movement

o    Strozier, Neal

o    National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

o    Central High School (Little Rock, Ark.)

o    Public schools–Virginia–Arlington

o    Public schools–Virginia–Norfolk
Types Broadcast-Television-News
Posted on

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of governor J. Lindsay Almond at a press conference declaring that schools will close if federal troops are sent to enforce desegregation, Richmond, Virginia, 1958 August 21

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of governor J. Lindsay Almond at a press conference declaring that schools will close if federal troops are sent to enforce desegregation, Richmond, Virginia, 1958 August 21

Creator WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)
Description In this WSB newsfilm clip from August 21, 1958, Virginia governor J. Lindsay Almond speaks to reporters at a press conference held in Richmond, Virginia and declares that schools will close if federal troops are sent to enforce desegregation. As the clip begins, Almond is sitting at one end of a table with reporters taking notes at the other end of the table. Almond asserts “there will be no enforced integration in Virginia.” While expressing his respect for president Dwight Eisenhower, he declares without “defiance” that if federal troops are sent to Virginia to enforce court-ordered desegregation, he will close the schools. Governor Almond held a press conference on August 21 in response to comments made by president Eisenhower the day before. According to newspaper reports, Eisenhower declared it was “the solemn duty of all Americans to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to end racial discrimination in public schools.” In other comments made during the press conference and not recorded in this newsfilm clip, Almond defends education as “a state matter” and maintains that desegregation “would destroy the process of education.” During his comments, he asked for support of a state policy against racial integration in public schools. School integration lawsuits in Virginia began in 1951 in Prince Edward County. That case was eventually incorporated into the United States Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. Almond, who was Virginia attorney general at the time, was one of the lawyers who argued in favor of segregated education. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled against segregation in public education. State officials in Virginia organized a plan of “massive resistance” to court-ordered desegregation, passing laws requiring integrated schools to close and providing tuition grants to white students displaced by school desegregation. In the fall of 1958, nine white public schools closed in Norfolk, Charlottesville, and Warren County, Virginia. On January 20, 1959, both state and federal courts overturned the state law requiring integrated schools to close. After the ruling, Almond called a special legislative session during which he announced the end of the “massive resistance” campaign. The following Monday, February 2, 1959, seven schools in Arlington and Norfolk integrated. Title supplied by cataloger. The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for digital conversion and description of the WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection.
Call number
Date from 1958 August 21
Date to 1958 August 21
Geographic school Virginia
Size 1 clip (about 1 min.)
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository The Civil Rights Digital Library
Repository address University of Georgia Libraries, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-1641
Repository contact name Dr. P. Toby Graham
Repository contact title Director, Digital Library of Georgia
Repository contact email tgraham@uga.edu
Repository contact phone (706) 583-0213
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    Almond, J. Lindsay (James Lindsay), 1898-1986

o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    School children

o    School closings

o    School integration

o    School integration–Massive resistance movement

o    Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969

o    Public schools–Virginia–Prince Edward County

o    Public schools–Virginia–Norfolk

o    Public schools–Virginia–Charlottesville

o    Public schools–Virginia–Warren County
Types Broadcast-Television-News
Posted on

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case # 1333-Davis et al vs. County School Board of Prince Edward County 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case # 1333-Davis et al vs. County School Board of Prince Edward County 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description The Dorothy Davis case raised the issue of equality between the county’s white and non-white schools. Prince Edward County, Virginia, had three high schools at the time: the whites-only Farmville and Worsham high schools, and the blacks-only Moton High School. As demonstrated by testimony and photographs, the educational facilities and courses were decidedly not equal. When the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the defendants, the plaintiffs appealed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Eventually, the Dorothy Davis case became one of the five cases decided by the United States Supreme Court under the name of Brown v. Board of Education. Having decided in Brown that the separate but equal doctrine laid out in previous decisions was no longer valid, the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of all public school districts. However, the decree from the United States District Court allowed Prince Edward County to continue operating as before until a statewide desegregation policy was established. Like so many other school districts, Prince Edward County fought the Supreme Court decision. Their tactics were unorthodox – rather than desegregate the school system, they simply closed the public schools. A private school, funded with vouchers from the County School Board, was founded which accepted only the white children of the county. The Davis case was resurrected first as Eva Allen v. the County School Board and later as Cocheyse J. Griffin v. the County School Board in order to force Prince Edward County to reopen the public schools and follow the original mandate of the Supreme Court. Finally, in 1964 the Supreme Court ruled that the county was required to provide public education to all children. Appeals of this case were filed in RG 276, Records of the U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit Case Files # 7829, 8837, 9597 and 10,191.
Call number Civil Action Case # 1333
Date from 1951
Date to 1964
Geographic school Prince Edward County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    High school students

o    Public schools

o    School closings

o    School integration–Massive resistance movement

o    Segregation in education

o    Topeka (Kan.). Board of Education–Trials, litigation, etc.

o    District courts–Virginia

o    United States. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)

o    Prince Edward County (Va.). County School Board–Trials, litigation, etc.
Types Legal documents
Posted on

Brown v. Topeka Board of Education oral history collection 

Brown v. Topeka Board of Education oral history collection 

Creator Kansas State Historical Society
Description This collection provides a look at the background surrounding the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka from those who, in one way or another, were involved with the cases before they reached the Supreme Court.
Call number Manuscript Collection No. 251; Audiotapes: 35-10-05-05 to 35-10-05-06.
Date from 1991
Date to 1996
Geographic school Virginia
Size 2 cu. ft. (3-5″ document cases and 1 cu. ft. box); 115 audiotapes.
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL http://www.kshs.org/p/brown-v-topeka-board-of-education-oral-history-collection-at-the-kansas-state-historical-society-fin/13997
Repository Kansas Historical Society State Archives
Repository address 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615-1099
Repository contact name Bob Knecht
Repository contact title
Repository contact email reference@kshs.org
Repository contact phone (785) 272-8681
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    Civil rights–Cases

o    Discrimination in education

o    National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

o    Public schools–Virginia–Prince Edward County

o    Segregation in education

o    Prince Edward County (Va.). County School Board–Trials, litigation, etc.

o    Topeka (Kan.). Board of Education–Trials, litigation, etc.
Types o    Interviews

o    Sound recordings
Posted on

Armistead Boothe collection, 1920-1983

Armistead Boothe collection, 1920-1983

Creator Boothe, Armistead Leon (1907-1990)
Description Armistead Lloyd Boothe (1907-1990) was a lawyer and state legislator from Alexandria, Virginia. Boothe attended Episcopal High School, the University of Virginia, and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He and his wife, Elizabeth Peele Boothe, were married in 1934.

Boothe served as a Democratic Virginia state legislator from 1948-1963. He was a prominent member of a group of legislators known as the “Young Turks” who opposed the entrenched establishment politicians of Virginia government. As noted in a 1970 news release, “he became perhaps best known for his consistent political fight, from 1954 on, to keep the public schools of the State open” after Virginia threatened to eliminate the mandate for public schools in order to oppose the Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education decision requiring school integration.

Boothe also served as a trustee of Colonial Williamsburg. A lifelong Episcopalian, he left politics and the law in 1970 to serve as the Director of Development at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. Boothe died in 1990.

The collection documents the life and political career of Armistead L. Boothe from his school days in Alexandria, Virginia, in the early 1920s to his role as Director of Development at Virginia Theological Seminary in the 1970s and his retirement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Included are certificates, a few photos, and a letter from Boothe’s time as a student at Episcopal High School and the University of Virginia, travel and bank documents from his time in England in the 1920s and 1930s, and newspaper articles, speeches and writings, press releases, campaign materials, and correspondence from his days as a lawyer, politician, and director of development at Virginia Theological Seminary. Of particular interest is a 1969 letter to the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne, who was killed in the accident at Chappaquiddick in Ted Kennedy’s car. Also included in the collection are Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia briefs dating from the 1940s to the 1960s, as well as correspondence, agendas, news articles, etc, from Boothe’s role as a trustee of Colonial Williamsburg.
Call number C0268
Date from 1920
Date to 1983
Geographic school Virginia (commonweath-wide)
Size
1.0 linear feet (2 boxes)
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions  —–
Part Of larger collection yes/no no
Larger collection title
URL https://scrc.gmu.edu/finding_aids/boothe.html
Repository George Mason University Libraries
Repository address Special Collection Research Center, Fenwick Library MS 2FL, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030
Repository contact name Brittney Falter
Repository contact title Research Services Coordinator, Special Collection Research Center
Repository contact email speccoll@gmu.edu
Repository contact phone (703) 993-2220
DoveRegion Region 6
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    School children

o    Segregation in education

o    Virginia, Northern

o    Public Schools of the District of Columbia
Types manuscripts