By Frances Crutchfield
Contributing Columnist

It did not seem ironic during the scorching of the sun to celebrate reaching for the moon.

Shortly after high noon, July 21, 2008, on the grounds of Capitol Square in Richmond, that is just what more than 4,000 people gathered to do. It seemed only right.

More than 400 years after the first Africans were brought to be sold as slaves in America, Virginia was dedicating a monument to individuals who fought the inequality of racially segregated schools in the Commonwealth. Likenesses of sixteen-year-old student leader Barbara Johns, The Reverend L. Francis Griffin, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People attorneys, Oliver Hill, Sr. and Spottswood Robinson, III were to be unveiled.

It was Johns who had described her protest against the substandard conditions in her racially segregated school in Prince Edward County as “reaching for the moon.”

The large crowd was a salt and pepper mixture of mostly blacks and whites, seated on bleachers, standing under tarps, umbrellas and trees. Police asked those in front to “take a knee” or a seat so that all could see. Since the shady spots had been taken, I sat on the ground by the brick walk in front of the stage where a podium and seats for speakers had been set up. American Indians such as Upper Mattaponi Chief Ken Adams and Chickahominy Chief Stephen Adkins stood to my right. To my left sat several little black boys. One held a fist full of dry grass that resembled a bird’s nest.

After the presentation of the colors, Carlton Blount sang the National Anthem, “America the Beautiful” and “Amazing Grace.”

Judith Anderson, chairman of the Capitol Square Civil Rights Memorial Foundation, welcomed the crowd. She spoke of the ideals of justice and equality for all citizens and the fact that the “actions of one individual can make a profound difference.” She asked all students and parents from shut-down schools to raise their hands. Many hands went up.

Thomas K. Norment, Jr. reminded us of the legacy of Jamestown, the coming together of three cultures, Indian, white and black. He said Virginia was the first state to elect a black governor and the first to offer an apology for the “disgraceful element of slavery.”

William J. Howell, speaker of the House of Delegates, said, “Bigotry and prejudice have no place in American life.” We are “all created equal in God’s eyes.”

Dwight Jones, chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, said it was time to applaud the dreamers, the contributors and the courageous who were commemorated. “This is a great day,” he said. He said that the tide had changed and the whole story would be told. He said, “Virginia is for all Virginians. We have come this far by faith.”

Virginia Civil Rights Memorial Co-Chairman, Virginia Tech Distinguished Professor and Poet, Nikki Giovanni, mesmerized us with her words: “This is not a poem. This is hot chocolate at the beginning of spring…the ability to make a way out of no way…a prayer for the worlds yet to come…the Black Woman…This is a rocket. Let’s ride.” The energy and pace of her voice seemed to sweep us along with her into a better future, made more possible by today’s event.

Lisa Collis, wife of former Governor Mark Warner, told of her then seven-year-old daughter’s question following an evening walk around the Capitol grounds. “How come Rosa Parks isn’t here?” the child had asked. Collis said the monument to be unveiled today was inspired by children, who deserved the complete story.

NAACP Chairman and Virginia Civil Rights Memorial Honorary Co-Chairman, and the grandson of a slave, Julian Bond, told a story of Shirley Davidson, the only Black child on her block. When the bus picked up the whites, she sat on the sidewalk and played in a made-up school. “No bus came for Shirley.” He spoke of “nameless protesters with tired feet” and said that hardships and adversities had nerved the race for greater victories.

The sculptor, Stan Bliefield spoke of his desire to make a “living memorial.” He said he wanted his work to be infused by the energy of young people working for betterment, because the “struggle for civil rights will go on.”

Viola Baskerville, secretary of administration, offered thanks to those who came before her. She said, “Their shoulders were broad enough to hold me.” She also acknowledged individuals present, such as the Indian Chiefs and the families of those memorialized. Many from Prince Edward County had traveled to Richmond in school buses.

Governor Timothy Kaine welcomed us to a “new Virginia.” He said he hoped the unveiling of the monument would do three things. First, it would open Capitol Square to all who had been Virginians, but had no monuments, to women and African-Americans, with their “tragic but triumphant history.”

Secondly, it would open the area to children,  representing optimism and hope. He quoted the prophet Isaiah’s words, which might have described Barbara Johns, “And a little child shall lead them.” Third, the unveiling would be not just about yesterday but about today and tomorrow. He quoted the words of William Faulkner, “History is the effort to create a useable past.”

Then, on the count of three, a hand bell choir began to play “We Shall Overcome,” as the canvas cover was pulled away. The police gave up trying to hold back the crowd as people surged forward to look. Cameras clicked, and people pushed their way through the throng.

It was a friendly pushing, with many “excuse me”s, introductions, and requests to snap pictures. It was there that I met Barbara Johns’ sister-in-law and brother, who showed me a signed photograph of her.

A choir began to sing “We Shall Overcome” as we reached the granite, rectangular monument, with bronze statues on all four sides of it. One side had statues of parents and children, led by Barbara Johns, stepping out of the crowd and reaching upward with her left hand. Her words, “It was like reaching for the moon,” were inscribed above the statues.

On the opposite side, students walked beneath the words of Justice Thurgood Marshall: “The legal system can force open doors and sometimes even knock down walls. But it cannot build bridges. That job belongs to you and me.”

On one end, stood the two attorneys, Hill and Robinson, and on the other were Rev. Griffin and a child.

The figures stood glorious in the sunlight. As I admired them, I could not help thinking about the third culture at Jamestown, the one who used to own this land, the one who had saved the lives of the white settlers - the American Indians - the First Americans, whose chiefs stood quietly, applauding the monument.

Powhatan Today welcomes submissions from county residents for My Point of View. For more information, contact editor Roslyn Ryan at (804) 598-4305 or e-mail editor@powhatantoday.com. Submissions can be mailed to 3229 Anderson Highway, Powhatan, Va. 23139.