Truth Be Told: Virginia

What happens when love tells you to leave? From Pittsburgh to Norfolk, guided by an elder's wisdom, an HBCU that chose her, and a city that helped raise her into who she is today, Charlette found her home. heardofem.com elizabethrivertrail.org nps.gov/locations/chesapeakebaywatershed/grants.htm virginiahumanities.org

Gathering has been a cornerstone of Ernest and Marva Davis’s life. And one of his favorite haunts was the famous Plaza Hotel, a prime stop on the Chitlin Circuit.  heardofem.com elizabethrivertrail.org nps.gov/locations/chesapeakebaywatershed/grants.htm virginiahumanities.org

On the south side of Norfolk, across the river from downtown, there’s a very small and very Black community called Berkley, where the summer heat gave way to dipping in the Elizabeth River or, depending on the decade, cannonballing into the community pool. But when big business eats the shoreline and concrete covers the last pool, where does a neighborhood find joy? heardofem.com elizabethrivertra...

Hugely influenced by his grandparents (contemporaries of MLK), and his mother, Dr. Kimble follows in their footsteps accidentally and on purpose. The roots of his ancestor’s influence show up in his garden, his parenting, and the impact he is quietly having on his community. heardofem.com elizabethrivertrail.org nps.gov/locations/chesapeakebaywatershed/grants.htm virginiahumanities.org

Adrena Foy built a world-class Double Dutch team from scratch. Whatever impossible moves she dreamed up for her team, they could achieve. The sky was the limit…until the funding was cut.  Mrs. Foy coached alongside Juanita Etheridge, Pam Gadson, Kathy Deloach, Tina Gordan, and Mrs. Bertoma Deloach. https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-inter...

While you wait on more episodes of  Truth Be Told: Virginia, we're sharing a special feed drop from We Are North Nashville--a series that preserves the history of a community disrupted when interstate highways were built directly through it. This is the first episode, and we think you'll love it.  The Rev. Dr. Margreat Smithson has dedicated her life to helping others. That instinct comes from the...

Introducing Truth Be Told: Virginia, stories from the Elizabeth River Trail. Join us... To mark spaces that are unmarked. To share stories that walk history forward. To build a common language cross-racially. To strengthen our understanding of community through site-specific short stories. These aren’t just Norfolk stories; they are American patterns that take place where it all got started.

Do Re Mi Fa SOOOOOO far from where she thought she was headed, but exactly where she is meant to be. Denise's voice takes on the highs and lows of charting an unconventional path.  *Denise was shaped by Dr. Carl W. Haywood and Mr. Terry Butler of the NSU Choirs and her voice teachers, Dr. Patricia Saunders Nixon and Mrs Gloria Amos. We honor their contributions to Denise and so many other students...

The hottest event in town, Afr’Am Fest, lit up Norfolk for decades, celebrating Black joy, family, and culture. Donna Smith takes us back to the final moments of the festival--and how she fought fire with fire (extinguishers)!  Afr'Am Fest Program Directors: Richard Love, Mark Madison, Vivian Brown https://www.pilotonline.com/2008/05/31/norfolk-re-examining-afram-fest-after-residents-complaints/ h...

Eric Jackson, a military kid, moved to the 757 in pursuit of spinning records, but it was the turn of two wheels that helped him realize Norfolk was home.  https://elizabethrivertrail.org/ https://www.nps.gov/locations/chesapeakebaywatershed/index.htm https://virginiahumanities.org/

Peggy picked plums. Peggy picked patients. Now, Peggy’s pickin’ a fight. https://www.newbyfoundation.org/tower-garden-project https://elizabethrivertrail.org/ https://www.nps.gov/locations/chesapeakebaywatershed/index.htm https://virginiahumanities.org/  

When Aniyah first joined Sail Nauticus for the promise of a homework pass, she was just testing the waters. What began as a casual “yes” to an afterschool program became a journey of steering through tough questions until she could bring her whole self aboard. https://nauticus.org/sail-nauticus/youth-programs/sail-nauticus-academy/ https://elizabethrivertrail.org/ https://www.nps.gov/locations/che...

Displaced, but undeterred. DJ Bee and Keja spin love, music and bikes into a movement–  reclaiming the streets while building community. This is the story of how DJ Bee and his wife Keja came to host the protest Freshtopia Boom Box Bike ride.  https://www.freshtopiava.com/ https://elizabethrivertrail.org/ https://www.nps.gov/locations/chesapeakebaywatershed/index.htm https://virginiahumanities.org...

From the Negro Leagues to the 82nd Airborn and back, meet the skinny, left-handed, crooked-armed kid who, in pursuit of a six dollar dream refused to strike out.  DONATE to the Sam Allen Scholarship: details coming soon--check back later :) APPLY for the Sam Allen Scholarship: https://dbatvirginiabeach.com/index.php/sam-allen-scholarship https://elizabethrivertrail.org/ https://www.shoelesspodcast...

From heartbreak and injury to healing and empowerment, Sean and Rylan’s gym is more than a fitness center–it’s a space for rebuilding lives and restoring community in Newport News. https://www.bgr8fitness.com/

When a bridge symbolizing division and connection was set for demolition, Dr. Price and People for People came together to repair it–literally and metaphorically–showing what’s possible when a community unites.  http://www.nnp2p.org/

Raised by his Grandmother, Father, and his father’s football team, Tommy Reamon, Jr. walks in his father’s footsteps as a NFL player. Filled with pride for his city, he started the brand City on My Chest to encourage pride in his hometown, and its track record for birthing legends.  http://www.buybacktheblockvip.org/

Angela Reason’s photo is the only one of its kind on a wall of history—she’s a mom and the first Black, female Clerk of Court in Newport News. With compassion and conviction, she uses her role to witness and uplift the community, even in its toughest moments. https://www.sustainequity.org/

What happens when a sidelined athlete takes a stand? In 2019, Kelo traded his football gear for activism, rallying his university to recognize MLK Day. Hear how he tackled systemic indifference and scored a win for justice at Christopher Newport University. Kelo’s Petition: https://www.change.org/p/paul-trible-in-respect-of-martin-luther-king-jr-classes-should-be-canceled-mlk-day-january-21-2019 U...

Imagine a high school education so transformative that it fuels a lifelong mission for change. Joni Ivey reflects on the final days of her historic Black high school, the fight for integration, and how she helped create a new legacy for education in Southern Newport News. https://www.dailypress.com/2017/02/06/resistance-and-repercussions-newport-news-residents-look-back-at-schools-desegregation/ h...

Toney owns Hard Times Skate Shop, one of a handful of Black owned skate shops in the country. When the city moves to take away the skate park in the city, he fights for both his community and his business. https://hardtimesskateshop.com/  

From chickens to cheerleading, Tamara finds her way out of the country and into Churchland. Her love of I.C. Norcom continues in her work on the Portsmouth School Board.

Mrs. Sharlene experienced a poverty of wealth and of love in her early years.  Despite it all, she found a way to raise her daughter differently, without ever forgetting where she came from. 

Despite being STRONGLY encouraged to find a home elsewhere, Speaker Don Scott finds a community that embraces all of him. 

When Suzette’s grandfather falls ill, she get’s curious about what better care could look like. Instead of continuing the family bootlegging business, she pursues a career in nursing.