2012 African American TrailblazersTrailblazers Noah Davis John Jasper in Virginia History

Oscar Micheaux

Irene Morgan James Farmer eople of African descent have been a part of Virginia’s— Pand America’s—story since European colonization of the North American continent began. Yet the contributions of African Americans have often been ignored, obscured, or underappreciated by those who recorded history. In observance of African American History Month, the Library of Virginia honors eight distinguished Virginians, past and present, as African American Trailblazers for their important contributions Yvonne B. Miller to the state, the nation, or their professions.

The men and women recognized as Trailblazers offer powerful examples of individuals who refused to be defined by their circumstances. Their biographies are a testament to the determination and perseverance displayed by extraordinary Willie Lanier people during challenging times. These individuals demonstrate Michael L. Blakey how African Americans have actively campaigned through education and advocacy for better lives for themselves and their people. It is these many contributions that the African American

Noah Davis (1804–1867), Fredericksburg James Farmer (1920–1999), Spotsylvania County Trailblazers program seeks to recognize and share. author of an emancipation narrative civil rights leader Born into slavery, Noah Davis raised more than $4,000 to free As director of the Congress of Racial Equality and as initiator himself and his family members during the 1840s and 1850s. of the Freedom Rides, James Farmer played a critical role in the To learn more about these extraordinary men and women, national civil rights movement. John Jasper (1812–1901), Richmond all of whom have used their talents and creativity to push Nominated by Janet M. Stephens’s sixth-grade honors U.S. history class baptist minister (2010–2011), Albert H. Hill Middle School, Richmond An extraordinary orator who preached throughout the eastern for equality and inclusion in American society, visit our United States, John Jasper in 1867 established Sixth Mount Zion Yvonne B. Miller, Norfolk Web site at: Baptist Church, in Richmond. political leader Nominated by Benjamin Ross, church historian, The first African American woman elected to the House of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, Richmond Delegates and to the Senate of Virginia, Yvonne B. Miller www.lva.virginia.gov/trailblazers works tirelessly as a politician, educator, and advocate for Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951), Roanoke underrepresented Virginians. filmmaker Often recognized as the country’s first African American Willie Lanier, Richmond filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux established a film office in Roanoke, athlete and entrepreneur where he produced at least six silent movies. Willie Lanier broke through racial barriers in professional Nominated by Peggy DeHart on behalf of the 2010–2011 first-graders at football by becoming the first African American to play middle Belview Elementary School, Radford linebacker, the position that directs the defense on the field. Irene Morgan (1917–2007), Gloucester County Michael L. Blakey, Williamsburg principal in a civil rights case anthropologist Irene Morgan’s challenge to the Virginia law requiring segregated Physical anthropologist Michael L. Blakey helped analyze and presented by seating on interstate buses resulted in a landmark ruling by the interpret the important evidence uncovered at the African Burial Supreme Court of the United States. Ground in Manhattan. Nominated by Alyssa Murray’s and Kerri Black’s fourth-grade students Nominated by Gwendolyn Harvey, Petersburg (2010–2011), John B. Cary Elementary School, Richmond

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Image Credits—Davis, courtesy of the Library of Congress. Jasper, courtesy of the Library of Virginia. Micheaux, courtesy of the General Research and Reference Division, the New York Public Library. Morgan, courtesy of Virginia Historical Society. Miller, courtesy of the Library of Virginia. Farmer, courtesy of the James L. Farmer Collection, Digital Archives@UMW, University of Mary Washington. Lanier, courtesy of Willie Lanier. Blakey, courtesy of Michael L. Blakey.

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employment opportunities; served as an assistant secretary secretary assistant an as served opportunities; employment of the department of early childhood and elementary elementary and childhood early of department the of ouchdown Club of Richmond’s Richmond’s of Club ouchdown T / Times-Dispatch Richmond .C. After graduating graduating After .C. D Washington, of native a is lakey B

during the next two decades to expand African American American African expand to decades two next the during tate University. As a professor and head head and professor a As University. tate S orfolk N at of the top seventy-five players ever to play the game. The The game. the play to ever players seventy-five top the of

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outh to desegregate desegregate to outh S the through ork. The analysis of of analysis The ork. Y ew N in died and

and organized the Freedom Rides Rides Freedom the organized and felons who have completed their sentencing requirements. sentencing their completed have who felons his community volunteer work. volunteer community his of African origin or descent who lived lived who descent or origin African of

’s national director in 1961 1961 in director national ’s E R O C citizens, funding for education, and restoration of rights for for rights of restoration and education, for funding citizens, ear Award in 1972 for for 1972 in Award ear Y the of Man FL’s N the received He community of free and enslaved people people enslaved and free of community

fight segregation. Farmer became became Farmer segregation. fight Virginia, championing programs and services for senior senior for services and programs championing Virginia, 1975 and missed only one game during his last ten seasons. seasons. ten last his during game one only missed and 1975 , about the burial ground and the the and ground burial the about , Past

ins and peaceful demonstrations to to demonstrations peaceful and ins fights for the underrepresented of of underrepresented the for fights named to league all-star teams each year between 1968 and and 1968 between year each teams all-star league to named Slavery’s Buried Buried Slavery’s documentary, PBS

nonviolent techniques such as sit- as such techniques nonviolent enate floor Miller Miller floor enate S the n O enate. S “Contact” because of his aggressive tackling, Lanier was was Lanier tackling, aggressive his of because “Contact” lakey was featured in a 1996 1996 a in featured was lakey B America.

civil rights organization that used used that organization rights civil is the longest-serving woman in the the in woman longest-serving the is icknamed icknamed N IV. owl B uper S in win upset an to Chiefs the orth orth N in analyzed ever Americans

known, developed into a national national a into developed known, he now chairs five committees and and committees five chairs now he S leader of the defense on the field, in 1970 he helped spur spur helped he 1970 in field, the on defense the of leader burial site of Africans and African African and Africans of site burial

, as it became became it as , E R O C quality. E Racial chair a General Assembly committee. committee. Assembly General a chair often described as “the quarterback of the defense.” As the the As defense.” the of quarterback “the as described often women, and children, it is the largest largest the is it children, and women,

in Virginia History Virginia in of the Chicago-based Congress of of Congress Chicago-based the of enate of Virginia and to to and Virginia of enate S the to elected African American to play middle linebacker, the position position the linebacker, middle play to American African the remains of more than 400 men, men, 400 than more of remains the

Farmer became the chief organizer organizer chief the became Farmer as the first African American woman woman American African first the as Kansas City Chiefs in the 1967 draft, Lanier became the first first the became Lanier draft, 1967 the in Chiefs City Kansas during the colonial period. Containing Containing period. colonial the during

toward a career in activism. In 1942 1942 In activism. in career a toward she continued her political aspirations aspirations political her continued she A second-round pick of the American Football League’s League’s Football American the of pick second-round A

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trained in the ministry, segregation in churches pushed him him pushed churches in segregation ministry, the in trained elegates, elegates, D of House the in sit to woman mall College All-American. All-American. College mall S two-time a became he where construction of a new federal office building provided provided building office federal new a of construction

Mississippi drugstore because of his skin color. Although he he Although color. skin his of because drugstore Mississippi women. The first African American American African first The women. altimore, altimore, B in University, tate S Morgan attended He player. ork City. The excavation of the site before the the before site the of excavation The City. ork Y ew N

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first-graders at Belview Elementary School, Radford School, Elementary Belview at first-graders

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raise more than $4,000 to rescue rescue to $4,000 than more raise

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state historical marker highlighting his his highlighting marker historical state tates for many years. Jasper continued to preach at his his at preach to continued Jasper years. many for tates S health soon began to fail, possibly possibly fail, to began soon health tates awarded awarded tates S United the of president the 2001 January in

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fame as part of the Harlem Renaissance. Renaissance. Harlem the of part as fame and vivid imagery attracted national attention, and he he and attention, national attracted imagery vivid and and freedom, family’s his secure Queens College in 1990. In 2000 the county of Gloucester Gloucester of county the 2000 In 1990. in College Queens

City in 1925, where he achieved further further achieved he where 1925, in City ible and the power of God. His dramatic speaking style style speaking dramatic His God. of power the and ible B religious conversion, his efforts to to efforts his conversion, religious University in 1985 and received a master’s degree from from degree master’s a received and 1985 in University

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school, and the church also provided social services to help help to services social provided also church the and school, struggling his for funds provide was “a decisive blow to the evil of segregation and all that that all and segregation of evil the to blow decisive “a was

Virginia, 1998– ) and on the Library’s Virginia Memory movie, one and Roanoke, in scenes filmed often Micheaux

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1887, and the church served as a center of religious life in in life religious of center a as served church the and 1887, daughter. his freeing in succeeded and money raise to

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eeking investors, Micheaux contacted several African African several contacted Micheaux investors, eeking S

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etersburg to lead services services lead to etersburg P to traveled With assistance from attorneys of the the of attorneys from assistance With

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sermons for other slaves. He regularly regularly He slaves. other for sermons Church. aptist B of Appeals upheld Morgan’s conviction. conviction. Morgan’s upheld Appeals of

to counter negative and demeaning portrayals of African African of portrayals demeaning and negative counter to

years, most often preaching funeral funeral preaching often most years, became later what established and treet African African treet S aratoga S upreme Court Court upreme S Virginia The passengers.

(1920), Micheaux sought sought Micheaux (1920), Gates Our Within as such films,

Leaving his family in Virginia, Virginia, in family his Leaving avis secured his freedom freedom his secured avis D traveled around Virginia for twenty twenty for Virginia around traveled requiring separation of white and black black and white of separation requiring

(1945). In his books and and books his In (1945). Wingate Mrs. of Case The and (1913)

as a missionary and to provide the balance of the $500. $500. the of balance the provide to and missionary a as became a well-known preacher and and preacher well-known a became Morgan of violating a 1930 Virginia law law Virginia 1930 a violating of Morgan

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altimore offered him a job there there job a him offered altimore B in aptists B white 1847 ible. He soon soon He ible. B the studying began driver had her arrested. A court convicted convicted court A arrested. her had driver

during his career, Micheaux also wrote and self-published self-published and wrote also Micheaux career, his during avis opened a cobbler’s shop to earn the rest. In In rest. the earn to shop cobbler’s a opened avis D states, him learn to read and write, and Jasper Jasper and write, and read to learn him he refused, and the bus bus the and refused, he S sit. to people

and produced. With more than forty films to his credit credit his to films forty than more With produced. and quare. A fellow slave helped helped slave fellow A quare. S Capitol northern through trip fund-raising a After $500. for him asked her to stand to allow the white white the allow to stand to her asked

(1919), which he wrote, directed, directed, wrote, he which (1919), Homesteaders The was film experienced a religious conversion in in conversion religious a experienced 1845 In officials. church white avis’s owner agreed to free free to agreed owner avis’s D got on in Middlesex County, the driver driver the County, Middlesex in on got

pioneer in the use of all-black casts. His first feature-length feature-length first His casts. all-black of use the in pioneer work in a tobacco factory, in 1839 he he 1839 in factory, tobacco a in work by preach to licensed was and 1831 in Church aptist B the her doctor. When more white passengers passengers white more When doctor. her

the country’s first African American filmmaker and as a as and filmmaker American African first country’s the in Fluvanna County. After being sent to Richmond to to Richmond to sent being After County. Fluvanna in joined he where Fredericksburg, in trade shoemaker’s altimore to see see to altimore B to bus the ride to 1944,

(January 2, 1884–March 25, 1951) is often recognized as as recognized often is 1951) 25, 1884–March 2, (January (July 4, 1812–March 30, 1901), who was born into slavery slavery into born was who 1901), 30, 1812–March 4, (July and boot- the learned He County. Madison in slavery left her mother’s house in Gloucester County on July 16, 16, July on County Gloucester in house mother’s her left

Noah Davis Noah John Jasper John Irene Walker Morgan Walker Irene orn in Illinois to former slaves, slaves, former to Illinois in orn B of bicentennial the marks 2012 year The into born was 1867) 7, 1804–April (March evereaux Micheaux Micheaux evereaux D scar O

(April 9, 1917–August 10, 2007) 2007) 10, 1917–August 9, (April

principal in a civil rights case rights civil a in principal filmmaker minister baptist narrative emancipation an of author

1917–2007 | Gloucester County Gloucester | 1917–2007 Roanoke | 1884–1951 Richmond | 1812–1901 Fredericksburg | 1804–1867

Noah Davis Noah John Jasper John Irene Morgan Irene 800 East Broad Street n Richmond VA 23219-8000 Micheaux Oscar www.lva.virginia.gov