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In Richmond, a struggle over the future of a ‘Harlem of the South’

July 16, 2024 Guest User

Civil rights activist and local historian, Gary Flowers, points out how the construction of I-95 in the 1950’s demolished and separated the vibrant and bustling Black neighborhood of Jackson Ward in Richmond, VA, to travel magazine editors Leroy Adams and Marie Adams, at right, during a tour on Friday, July 12th. Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ at WHRO

The historic Black neighborhood of Jackson Ward was intentionally split by highway development in the 1950s. Generations later, could a plan to reconnect the north and south sides renew a community?

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In Social Justice, State Government Tags Black neighborhoods, eminent domain

Virginia Establishes Commission to Study Black Communities Uprooted by Public Universities

May 17, 2024 Louis Hansen

Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, for decades expanded into and disrupted a neighboring, predominantly Black community, sometimes acquiring property by eminent domain. Virginia lawmakers on May 13 approved a two-year study commission to probe the uprooting of Black communities by the state’s public colleges and universities. Photo by Christopher Tyree. // VCIJ at WHRO

Spurred by a VCIJ at WHRO and ProPublica investigation, the recently approved Virginia budget includes nearly $60,000 over the next two years for a commission to study the disruption public college and university expansions have had on Black communities. 

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In Education, Social Justice, State Government Tags eminent domain, Christopher Newport University

Virginia Lawmakers Approve Commission to Examine Universities’ Displacement of Black Communities

March 14, 2024 Guest User

Christopher Newport University’s campus displaced a Black neighborhood in Newport News, Virginia. Photo by Christopher Tyree/VCIJ at WHRO

The groundbreaking commission, which was proposed in response to our “Uprooted” series, would consider compensation for dislodged property owners and their descendants. Whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin will sign the bill is unclear.

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In Education, State Government, Social Justice Tags eminent domain, Christopher Newport University, Black neighborhoods

Task Force to Consider “Restorative Justice” for Black Families Uprooted by Virginia University’s Expansion

January 29, 2024 Guest User

 Christopher Newport University's campus stands on the site of a once-thriving Black community. Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ

Spurred by our “Uprooted” series, a task force created by the city of Newport News and Christopher Newport University will reexamine decades of city and university records shedding light on a Black neighborhood’s destruction.

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In Education, Social Justice, State Government Tags eminent domain, Christopher Newport University

Lawmaker Seeks Study, Relief for Black Communities Uprooted by Virginia Universities

January 17, 2024 Guest User

Following an investigation by the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO and ProPublica, Del. Delores McQuinn introduces bill for a commission to investigate the displacement of Black neighborhoods by Virginia’s public colleges and universities

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In Education, State Government, politics Tags Christopher Newport University, Black neighborhoods, eminent domain

The University Uprooted a Black Neighborhood. Then Its Policies Reduced the Black Presence on Campus.

December 22, 2023 Guest User

A portrait of Trible and his wife hangs in the library named after them. Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ at WHRO

Black enrollment at Virginia’s Christopher Newport University fell by more than half under longtime president Paul Trible, a former Republican senator who wanted to “offer a private school experience.” By 2021, only 2.4% of full-time professors were Black.

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In Education, Social Justice, State Government, politics Tags Christopher Newport University, College, eminent domain

Virginia Lawmaker Calls for Commission to Study State Universities’ History of Uprooting Black Communities

November 10, 2023 Guest User

A Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority map from the 1960s shows how Old Dominion University (then called Old Dominion College) planned to expand into the Lamberts Point neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia. (Old Dominion University Special Collections & University Archives)

In response to our reporting, state Delegate Delores McQuinn said a task force could shed light on the impact of college expansion in Virginia. Officials are also calling for displaced families to receive redress, from scholarships to reparations.

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In Education, Housing, State Government Tags Christopher Newport University, Housing, eminent domain

Virginia Law Allows the Papers of University Presidents to Stay Secret, Limiting Public Oversight

October 3, 2023 Guest User

Illustration by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ

A provision in state law exempts college presidents’ “working papers and correspondence” from disclosure even after they step down — as we found out when we asked about one ex-president’s role in campus expansions that uprooted a Black neighborhood.

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In Education, Social Justice, State Government Tags Law, eminent domain, Christopher Newport University

Virginia’s Public Universities Have a Long History of Displacing Black Residents

September 11, 2023 Louis Hansen

Deborah Taylor Mapp, 75, along Elkhorn Avenue near 38th St. in the Lambert's Point neighborhood in Norfolk Friday, Sept.8, 2023 as she talked about a childhood friend who lived in the house behind her in photo. Mapp said when she was a child the house was painted red and she spent many hours sitting on the porch with her friend. Photo by Bill Tiernan // VCIJ at WHRO

Schools including Old Dominion and the flagship University of Virginia have expanded by dislodging Black families, sometimes by the threat or use of eminent domain.

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In Housing, Education, Social Justice Tags eminent domain, higher education

Erasing the “Black Spot”: How a Virginia College Expanded by Uprooting a Black Neighborhood

September 5, 2023 Guest User

Sixty-plus years ago, the white leaders of Newport News, Virginia, seized the core of a thriving Black community to build a college. The school has been gobbling up the remaining houses ever since.

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In Education, Social Justice, State Government Tags Christopher Newport University, eminent domain

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