Fairfax County, Virginia
The Fairfax County History Commission’s
20th Annual History Conference
“WE Are Fairfax County Part IV –
The Power of Place: HOME!”
November 2, 2024; proudly presents the
Cultural Engagement Heritage Award
To
Etta Willson, Rita Colbert, Linneall Naylor,
Rondia Prescott with Jenee Lindner
for their book,
Black Communities of Fairfax – A History
The history of Black Communities in the United States has more often been either lost or untold. That truth makes the book, Black Communities of Fairfax – A History, a sacred gift and long overdue treasure to the City of Fairfax, in Virginia. It is a fascinating anthology of Fairfax County’s rich Black Heritage. Included in this collaboratively authored, researched book are articles by descendants of some of the County’s most prominent families including graduates of the infamous Rosenwald School. The writers have shared many of their most intimate family stories – going back in many cases to the late 1800’s when, during re-construction, life was hard, people were poor, but education, music and church affiliation reigned. Intermarriages and the envelopment of Irish settlers, allowed for a cultural mix. Land was farmed and people fed, children were raised and the passionate connection to a past through cemetery plots and care of same – all kept the Black people of this land connected in meaningful, future oriented ways.
Attendance at the opening of the Julius Rosenwald School in 1926 gave hope and an educational foundation – completely verboten in prior generations. A few highlights include: 1935 seeing the city’s first “Colored Grand Jury”, the 1950’s brought school buses to black children so they could attend high school in Manassas and a white woman found her own heritage had its beginnings in a connection with this Black community.
Pictures, photographs, court documents, census reports and re-created maps (provided by Sam Lindner) brought into focus the tangible reality of generational history, community contributions, celebrations and a passion for life that continues abundantly to this day. The compilation of these facts, stories and connections bring to life a long-forgotten vibrancy of life that now reflects the history and preservation of The City of Fairfax and Fairfax County’s vast and rich history in the United States of America.
