As an employee of the Powhatan County School system for over 40 years, Burnette Turner has received a certain degree of recognition over the course of her career.

The award she received recently, however, may be the closest to her heart.

Turner, a bookkeeper for Powhatan Elementary School, was selected by Mount Zion Baptist church in Powhatan last January as an African American who had paved the way for generations to come.

“I felt quite honored,” said Turner, noting that she had never been recognized for anything outside of her work with the school system. She received a plaque in honor of her selection, and was recognized during the church’s celebration of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 20.

Turner began her career with the schools in 1968, before desegregation, and has been at Powhatan Elementary since 1982.

While she acknowledged that opportunities were limited for African Americans when she entered the work force, she said has seen much progress.

“I believe things have gotten better,” she said, insisting that she has never allowed herself to be bitter about the prejudices she faced.

“I feel like there is no color with God,” said Turner. “We are all striving to make it…it’s all about giving people a chance. And I feel quite honored that I was given that chance.”

In part because of the limitations she faced, Turner said she always encouraged her own four children to strive for excellence.

“I always told them that they should do better than me because they had so many more opportunities than I did,” she said. “The sky was the limit.”

Turner says she has no regrets whatsoever about the path her own life has taken, and she hopes people will remember her as someone who persevered despite obstacles.

“I just did my job,” she said. “May the work I’ve done speak for me.”