The Edwin Washington Project

New printer in our office at Douglass, thanks to a donor.

Lots of people in the main hall on Saturday to celebrate Gert's 75th birthday.

Visitor today in our Research Center

Recent visitors to the office and front area.

Nathan Bailey discussing his research into transportation.

Mary A. E. Pen*ston was the very first Black supervisor of teachers in Loudoun County and assisted in the march of Black teachers and students through Leesburg in 1921. She was born in Petersburg in 1881 and graduated from Hampton in 1903. Her first posting was in the small schoolhouse in Brownsburg, Rockbridge County, Virginia. Died 5 Aug 1975 and was buried in the Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Sterling, widow of Archie T. Shirley of Baltimore who passed in 1965. Here is a photo we recently uncovered of her first schoolhouse, which later became a cannery and was closed in 1965. Courtesy of the Brownsburg Historical Society, the original is a laminated poster, hence the reflections. The schoolhouse is on the right. Before coming to Loudoun,. Pen*ston has served in Smow Hills Alabama, Flatwoods Alabama, Kittrell College, as well as in Virginia Henrico, Fairfax and Prince William Counties.

Set up special scanner in the research center. The good news about this donor provided scanner is that it can scan without damaging the target document. Also very quick. This is a very important tool in our efforts to use technology to preserve history.

Story just published on the Edwin Washington Society.

Edwin Washington Society Shares History of Loudoun’s Segregated Education In 2022, the Loudoun County School Board endorsed three historical organizations to help write the stories of segregated education in Loudoun as part of the renovation and rededication of The

More guests today doing a tour. They are associated with a UVA study on segregated schools.

At the July22nd event

At the July 22nd event.

At the July 22nd event many exhibits were looked at.

At the July 22nd event, the guests toured the playground and were in awe. Only public school playground in Virginia dedicated to Black History.

A wonderful event on July 22nd at Douglass High School with the general public and members of local chapters of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and a member of the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution). Charles Avery and Alvin Dodson of the Loudoun Douglass Alumni Association and Larry Roeder of the Edwin Washington Society briefed the audience on the history of Douglass High School and segregated schooling in Loudoun. Larry also described methods EWS is using to preserve physical records. Several in the audience agreed to be volunteers. (more photos will be posted) soon.

Always a great day when you can expand knowledge about history.

My friend told me to take tonight off to watch Star Trek Strange New Worlds.

The Edwin Washington Project Documenting the history of pre-integration schools in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Pastor Lawson of the Prosperity Baptist church reading old documents in the Edwin Washington Research Center, the only research center in Loudoun focused on Segregated schools.

Researchers in the Edwin Washington Research Center on Segregated Education - the only center of its kind in Loudoun County. We are also associated with the Country School Association of America, our volunteers regularly lecturing at annual conferences. The lady in the back is Gert Evans, one of our top volunteers and a great artist.

Visitors yesterday to the Research Center. A wonderful Alum from Douglas and an immigrant from El Salvador and her grandson.

Yesterday on our Research Center with Neil Steinberg of the Town Council and Alexis Gustin of Loudoun Now. Photo by Larry

We were asked the other day who the officers were in the County-Wide League of Loudoun. In 1938 they were John Wanzer, President (Middleburg), Elizabeth Quisenberry, Vice President (Leesburg), Annie Ferrell, Second Vice President (Waterford), Charles H. Willis, Secretary (Aldie), E. Sanford, Assistant Secretary (Hamilton), Irene Roberts Treasurer (Leesburg), Reverand Williams, Chaplain (Leesburg), Edith O. Harris., Publicity (Leesburg).

Important effort to restore a language. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230228-kouri-vini-the-return-of-the-us-lost-language

Young volunteers in 2019. Discussing Dirt Don't Burn effort.

About to place a package in the time capsule at Douglass High School. All part of preparations to reopen the building as an iconic symbol of the heroic struggle of Blacks in Loudoun for educational equality. Each organization involved in the commemoration of Douglass did the same. To my right are the terrific co-chairs of the Commemorative Committee.

One envelope contains material on the wonderful Edwin Washington volunteers and our mission to research and explain what happened to Blacks under segregated education.

The other envelope discusses how my father put me on my own mission to study civil rights and how to prevent war. Dad and I have the same name. He was an ambulance driver in WWII for the American Field Service and retired from the state department as a US Consul General.

Images from last night's showing of the new research center we will open soon at Douglass.

Benjamin Banneker, astronomer and city planner. Illustration by Charles Henry Alston (c. 1943). U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.

Great post.

Happy to announce a forthcoming book this summer published by Georgetown University Press, Dirt Don't Burn is the first serious study of segregated education in Loudoun Couty, taken in the context of Virginia and the USA.

Time Capsule Committee for Douglass HS. Valerie Bush, Larry Roeder, Jim Roberts, Jaxson Roberts.

Edwin Washington Project Documenting Loudoun County Schools during the period of segregation.

Presentation at the 2022 Annual Conference of the Country School Association of America in Golden Colorado.

https://diversityandequalityfairsofvirginia.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/2022csaapresentationfinal2.pdf

diversityandequalityfairsofvirginia.files.wordpress.com

Gertrude Alexander, 1946. Does anyone remember her or have other photos? She started the County-Wide League of Black PTA's in Loudoun, then in 1940, returned to her home town of Elizabeth City NC to take on a similar role in their school system.

Larry Roeder CEO, Edwin Washington Society.

I saw this idea in Colorado. Maybe this is something we should consider doing in Loudoun. Larry Roeder

Consider buying a copy of the Bulletin of Loudoun County History.. We also want articles.

Bulletin of Loudoun County History

Just a personal note.

Several of our volunteers have endured serious illnesses but have always insisted on doing their research because the community deserves to know the truth about the past.

No names here; but one endured skin cancer and operations, another a serious heart operation very recently and another just came down with Covid, and feels bad. So I'd just like to take a moment and ask all of you to think about these wonderful people who work so hard for all of you on such a laudable cause - truth, told professionally.

I am in such debt to their bravery and tenacity. I hope you agree.

Larry Roeder, CEO, the Edwin Washington Society.

The Edwin Washington Project wishes to extend its condolences to the family and friends of Henry Plaster who just passed away at his home, on Snickersville Turnpike. Mr. Plaster was instrumental in helping the project locate the site for the Bluemont Colored School. He was a great friend to all of us and we will miss him.
https://edwinwashingtonproject.org/passing-of-henry-plaster/

Passing of Henry Plaster The Edwin Washington Project wishes to extend its condolences to the family and friends of Henry Plaster who just passed away at his home, on Snickersville Turnpike. Mr. Plaster was instrumental in helping the project locate the site for the Bluemont Colored School. He was a great friend to all of u...

An interesting stpoy. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220306-the-us-highway-that-helped-break-segregation

The US highway that helped break segregation Along US Route 40, African diplomats were routinely denied service at local establishments. But their treatment set off a civil rights struggle that led to outlawing segregation.

Interesting news. Found today in the 1937/38 Daily Attendance Register for the Willing Workers School in Purcellville, also known as the Purcellville Colored school, 2 students studied Dutch! Studying a foreign language was starling enough for the time; but why Dutch? It is possible that the teacher meant Deutsch, which is German for German. But the writing is clearly Dutch. We don't know who took the class or who taught it, nor what books were used.

Black History briefing hosted by Juli Briskman. https://m.facebook.com/SupervisorBriskman/videos/black-history-town-hall/697437094605315/

https://www.loudoun.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/11837

www.loudoun.gov