Virginia's universities are recognized among the best in the nation. But their expansion has often displaced adjacent communities. Now, a legislative committee is looking into what impact state universities had on their neighboring Black communities.
The Commission to Study the History of the Uprooting of Black Communities by Public Institutions of Higher Education was authorized under the 2024 state budget agreement. Armed with about $60,000 over the next two years, and led by Richmond Delegate Delores McQuinn, the group aims to understand what role colleges like Christopher Newport University and others played in harming Black communities as they expanded their physical footprint during the last century and today.
“Across this nation this has happened, and I hope we as Virginians, as a general assembly, we can say we’re ready to take on the challenge, stand in the face of it, and address it,” McQuinn told the committee.
During the committee’s first meeting this week, Brandi Kellam, a reporter at the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO, presented findings from her award-winning coverage of the issue, published in 2023 in partnership with ProPublica. Kellam found Christopher Newport University used local authority, university influence and even the Virginia Attorney General’s office to take land from established Black neighborhoods, either via eminent domain or at 20% less than it was worth.
“This was a collective, systemic dismantling of a community by several parties in power across the state of Virginia,” Kellam said.
A representative from Christopher Newport was not at the meeting, but they’re working with the city of Newport News to study the issue as well. Community leader and long-time staffer for Virginia congressman Bobby Scott Joni Ivey was appointed to the local committee by the town's mayor, she's also a civilian member of the legislative commission.
“The new people on counsel… they are open to listening and giving people an opportunity to air their grievances," Ivey told the committee. "I feel confident that this group at the (local committee) table now… the counsel, the administration are committed to trying to find a way to address what happened to these families."
Notably Kellam said her research often ran into issues when trying to access documents from CNU, mainly their former president Paul Trible who oversaw much of the land acquisition during his tenure. Kellam said the university withheld some documents under a FOIA exemption given to university presidents.
But McQuinn said she hoped the school -and other schools who may face questions from the committee- would be more forthcoming.
“The universities, some will talk with us,” McQuinn said. “There are others we might need to use a different type of approach. But I don’t assume the General Assembly asking for information from universities, I’d expect everyone to cooperate.”
A representative from Christopher Newport was not at the meeting, but in a statement sent to Radio IQ, a spokesperson for the university said they “look forward to working with the Commission on this important initiative."
The bipartisan committee also included local Republican elected officials. Among them was Virginia Beach Delegate Anne Tata.
“I don’t have a lot of knowledge about the subject but I’m eager to learn and listen,” the delegate told the body at the opening of the meeting.
Yorktown State Senator Danny Diggs, another Republican member of the body, also expressed pleasure at the existence of the town’s effort to work with the college.
“I look forward to learning more about our history, how we got here today, and what we need to do about it,” he said.
McQuinn said she hopes CNU and other Virginia universities will work with them to develop a way to quote “bring some level of wholeness” to Black families that were impacted.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
