Pulaski residents who played a role in the Civil Rights movement over 70 years ago are being honored at an event Saturday at New River Community College in Dublin, hosted by the Calfee Community & Cultural Center.
In 1947, 23 families from the Black community in Pulaski filed a landmark civil rights case. They wanted the Pulaski school board to offer equal education for all children, regardless of their race. The case is known as the Corbin et al., v County School Board of Pulaski County, Virginia, named after Dr. Percy Corbin, who filed the case on behalf of the 23 families.
“These parents, they risked ostracism, not only physical reprisal but economic reprisal, for taking part of this,” said Mickey Hickman, president of the Calfee Community & Cultural Center’s board of directors, an organization that honors the African American history of Pulaski County.
“We just think this story needs to be told,” Hickman said.
At Saturday’s event, a new quilt will be unveiled, designed with the descendants of those who filed the civil rights case. The quilt is embedded with 400 artifacts, each of which tell a story, said Jill Williams, executive director of the Calfee Center.
“What we’ve found is some of the 7th graders, high schoolers, college-aged students who are descendants of these family members have been really motivated,” Williams said.
“They’ve been inspired to act against injustices that they see today based on what they’ve learned about their grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles.”
Leon Russell, current chairman of the national NAACP board will give the keynote. He attended the Calfee school and grew up in Pulaski.
The Calfee Center recently renovated the historic building where the school used to be in downtown Pulaski and opened a new childcare facility inside the historic school. Eventually, they plan to build a museum inside the former school, dedicated to the history of the local community.
The free event on Saturday begins at 5 pm at New River Community College. Organizers are asking people to RSVP for the dinner online here, or by calling the Calfee center 540-819-2655.
