Community Happenings: Vol. 122, No. 16, April 21 – 27, 2022

An Afternoon of “High Tea” To Benefit PACTS-UKHS Assn.

VIRGINIA BEACH
The Virginia Beach History Museums and the PACTS-UKHS Alumni  and Friends Association, Inc.  are hosting “a high-style afternoon tea” featuring the haberdashery, delightful bites and teas rooted in African and African American traditions.  

On Saturday, May 14, 2022, the event “Elegance & DiviniTea” will be held at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Market Street in Virginia Beach. There are two tea times: Noon – 1:30 p.m. and 3 – 4:30 p.m. with 100 guests admitted per tea time.

Attendees will enjoy their own “tea tower” of personally packaged sandwiches and sweets, along with tea selections specially curated for their connection with African and African Diaspora traditions. Models from the Virginia Beach community will also sashay down the runway, highlighting an array of vintage and modern hats, headwraps and high style.

Tickets are $35 per person and must be purchased in advance. 

For questions about tickets registration, please call 757-385-5100 or email vbhistory@vbgov.com.

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Youth Leadership  Conference, May 7

NORFOLK
The 22nd Annual Hampton Roads Youth Leadership Conference will take place on May 7, 2022 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This year’s theme is “Enhancing and Empowering Our Youths’ Voices”.

The program will include discussions on problems and solutions, education and careers, bulling, safe schools, and community sex trafficking. Also, attention will be given to assaults and disrespect toward authority figures in the community.

This is free event and open to the public. There will be refreshments nd a book signing. RSCP to 757-855-5358 or mail hrcots@aol.com

Cornland School Restoration Aided

By $3M Grant To Ches. History Projects

CHESAPEAKE
Congressman A. Donald McEachin was in Chesapeake on March 24, to present a $3,000,000 check to the City for the restoration of the Cornland School Museum and the completion of the Chesapeake Historical Village at the Great Dismal Swamp. A large crowd of elected officials, City staff, community leaders, and members of the Cornland School Foundation Board attended the presentation which was made at the new site at 5212 Glencoe Street.

An additional $3.000.000 was allocated by the General Assembly in 2021 which earmarked $750,000 for an outdoor educational classroom,  $1,250.000 for the Underground Railroad Replica and Visitor’s  Center, and $1,000.000 for renovation of the Superintendent House into a public museum. The three  projects will be a part of the Chesapeake Historical Village along the Great Dismal Swamp.

Cornland School was built in 1902/1903 by African Americans and was the only school that African  Americans could attend in Norfolk County (Chesapeake). It was a one-room school where seven grades  and all classes were taught by a single teacher. There was no running water and no electricity. 

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Pres. Biden Appoints Ports. Native
To BoV National Defense University

WASHINGTON, DC
Ambassador (Ret) Bismarck Myrick, Old Dominion University Ambassador in Residence and a native of Portsmouth, Va., was appointed recently by the Biden Administration to the Board of Visitors for the Washington, DC-based National Defense University (NDU).  Ambassador Myrick is a  distinguished military war hero as well as a retired U.S. diplomat.

The purpose of the Board is to provide independent advice and recommendations on matters pertaining to the overall management and governance of NDU’s mission to prepare strategic leaders to succeed in the current and future security environment.

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200+Men Scholarship Breakfast Will Be Held May 14

HAMPTON ROADS
The 24th annual 200+ Men Scholars Breakfast that will be held on May 14, at 9 a.m., at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

Ticket holders will enjoy delicious cuisine, meet new people, and enjoy this year’s keynote speaker, former Virginia Supreme Court Justice John Charles Thomas, a Norfolk native and a trailblazing 1975 University of Virginia Law School graduate who made history after he began to work for Hunton, Williams, Gay and Gibson, a prestigious law firm in Richmond, on Aug. 11, 1975. He became the first African American to serve on the State Supreme Court in 1983.

“The Scholars Breakfast is unique in that it shines a positive light on young African American males who are achieving academically and are on the right path toward future success in life,” said James A. Gray, who heads the organization and serves on Hampton City Council, speaking in a recent interview with The New Journal and Guide.

“It’s extremely important that we do that today when so many of our kids are involved in lifestyles that lead to violence and attract negative attention from the media,” Gray added.

Some of the challenges many men of color face include being a first-generation college student, needing to work full-time, or not having the income or savings to afford tuition.

The 200+Men organization helps young men bypass many of these obstacles by sponsoring year-round mentoring and field trips such as The Scholars Recognition Program, Brother to Brother Camp, Caravan to Richmond, and Samuel Dewitt Proctor Forums, which bring accomplished keynote speakers to Hampton Roads.

Specifically, the upcoming scholarship breakfast will honor African American high school males from Hampton Roads public and private schools who are graduating with a 3.0 or better GPA. 

For more details or to purchase tickets, phone– 757-455-9260 or email 200plusmen@cox.net.

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Scholarships for Portsmouth and Norfolk Graduating Seniors

HAMPTON ROADS
High school students in Norfolk and Portsmouth are eligible to apply for The Elizabeth River Crossings Good Citizen Scholarship. Awards of $6,000 will be made to one graduating senior at each of the eight public high schools in the two cities, for their dedication to demonstrating good citizenship within their school and community.

The $6,000 scholarship is dispersed in $1,500 annual increments across four years for any college, trade school or post-secondary institution expense, so long as the student can provide proof of enrollment each year.

An online application, along with two letters of recommendation, must be submitted before the Friday, May 6, 2022 deadline to be eligible for consideration.

For more information, please email Carley at CBrierre@ercopco.com or call (757) 793-0337.

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Historic Rappahannock Academy
Seeking Surviving Alumni, Families

ESSEX COUNTY, VA
In operation from 1902 to 1948, the Rappahannock Industrial Academy was a Baptist-run African American high school that began operation at a time when there were no public high schools for African Americans in rural Virginia. Located at Ozeana in Essex County, it was established by the Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association and supported by the Association and the African-American community. Although the Academy primarily served students from Essex, Middlesex, and King and Queen Counties, some of its students were from other parts of Virginia and beyond.

  The Rappahannock Industrial Academy Alumni Association is looking for persons who attended the RI Academy, even if they did not graduate. Because the school closed 74 years ago few alumni survive. However, the group would like to identify any who do, as well as to hear from families of alumni, faculty, administrators, and trustees.

  An RI Academy Virginia historical highway marker will be dedicated at the Academy site in Dunnsville on 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟭, 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭:𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗠. The goal is to involve as many persons as possible who have connections to the RI Academy.

Any persons who can be of assistance in this regard are asked to call 804-651-8753 or to email RIAcademyAlumni@gmail.com.