Standing (l-r): Mistress of Ceremonies Karla Redditte, News Anchor, WWBT-NBC12; Lawrence A. Davies; The Honorable Deanna Reed; Bill Murray, senior vice president – Corporate Affairs & Communications, Dominion Energy; Andrew J. White Sr.; Gladys B. West; Kwame Alexander; Bonita Fitzgerald Mosley, daughter of Fannie W. Fitzgerald; Christopher Stone, son of William T. Stone; and Dr. Sandra G. Treadway, Librarian of Virginia. Seated are essay winners (l-r): Erika Garcia, Washington-Lee High School; William Lee Williams, Granby High School; Loren Vermillion, Gate City High School; and Katherine Stenner, Clover Hill High School.
Honorees
(l-r): Lawrence A. Davies; The Honorable Deanna Reed; Andrew J. White Sr.; Gladys West; Kwame Alexander; Bonita Fitzgerald Mosley, daughter of Fannie W. Fitzgerald; and Christopher Stone, son of William T. Stone.
Rev. Andrew Jackson White Sr.
Andrew Jackson White Sr. was born in rural King and Queen County and attended local segregated schools. In 1953 he received a bachelor’s degree at Virginia Union University in Richmond, and went on to earn divinity degrees from Virginia Union’s School of Theology. White taught history and social studies in Westmoreland County.
Ordained a Baptist minister in 1953, he served a Northumberland County church before becoming pastor of Petersburg’s Zion Baptist Church in 1963. In 1969 White helped found the interracial Downtown Churches United, which worked with other community groups to provide food, clothing, shelter, and job assistance. White fought for adoption of the federal food stamp program for low-income families, which the city council approved in 1970. Concerned about access to health care, he sat on the board of the Southside Mental Health Association, serving as its first African-American president, and was a member of the Petersburg Hospital Authority, which oversaw the construction of a new facility. He was secretary of the board of trustees for the Virginia Negro Baptist Children’s Home and a vice president of the Dinwiddie County–based Titmus Foundation, supporting educational and religious organizations. He co-chaired the successful capital campaign to construct a new public library in Petersburg that opened in 2014.
White retired as Zion’s pastor in 2011. He served concurrently as pastor of Union Branch Baptist Church in nearby Prince George County, and in 2015 the church dedicated a community center named for him.
Nominated by Ann C. Taylor, Petersburg.
Dr. Gladys Mae Brown West
Born in rural Dinwiddie County, Gladys Mae Brown West graduated first in her high school class, earning her a scholarship to Virginia State College (later Virginia State University), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1952. After teaching in public schools, she completed a master’s degree from Virginia State in 1955, and the following year began working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren. She was the second African-American woman hired at the base, among only four African-American employees in total. Admired by her colleagues for her skill in calculating complex mathematical equations, she excelled in programming for computers. West emerged as an integral part of the team that developed the modern Global Positioning System, tirelessly collecting data from orbiting satellites and developing mathematical algorithms for supercomputers to process precise surface elevations. She later became project manager for the radar altimetry data processing project of Seasat, the first satellite designed for remote sensing of the Earth’s oceans, for which she received a commendation. West published numerous papers and made presentations on her work at national and international conferences before retiring in 1998.
Throughout her career West continued her education and in 2000 received a PhD in public administration and policy affairs from Virginia Tech. In 2018 the British Broadcasting Corporation named her to its 100 Women program, which annually honors influential women from around the world. That same year the General Assembly of Virginia passed a joint resolution honoring West for her pioneering career and contributions to technological development.
Essay Winners
Student winners are (l-r): Erika Garcia, Washington-Lee High School; William Lee Williams, Granby High School; Loren Vermillion, Gate City High School; and Katherine Stenner, Clover Hill High School.
Erika Garcia – junior
2019 Strong Men and Women Student Essay Contest
Northern Region Winner
Erika Garcia – junior
Prize: MacBook Air
School: Washington Lee High School
Principal: Gregg Robertson
School award: $1,000
When people ask what equality means to me, I do not think about just the definition. I remember what my family taught me: That we are all created by the same God; that we all have the same rights and opportunities; and that people cannot be discriminated against because of their skin color, race, culture, language, or education. In my personal opinion, we now live in a world that is full of racism, discrimination, and envy. Some people think they are better than the others because they come from a country where they had better standards of living and status. But equality does not come easily. Sometimes we have to find our own way to make it happen.
Jennie Serepta Dean, an African American slave born in the 1800s, wanted to have the same educational opportunities as the white Americans around her. She saw the institutional injustice that was around her and decided to take matters into her own hands by forming a place of learning for African Americans. She was 30 years old when she founded a Sunday school in Prince William County. The action she took to make the United States a little bit more equal embodies what equality means for me, because she didn’t just wait around for change, she was the change; she went out and she made a difference. These kinds of people are what the world needs, making everything more equal, little by little. Like Jennie, I want to be an activist who is always looking for ways to help others get equality, but also help myself reach my goals. Then I will be able to help the others in a more impactful way with the knowledge that I would have accumulated over that time.
In the world, there are sheep and there are shepherds. Sheep will go along with whatever is happening, even if it leads to their downfall, but the shepherds are there to steer the sheep in the right direction. Throughout history, we have had “shepherds” guide their people or countries to make changes that in the end benefit the majority. It is my wish to become the shepherd who will help guide people to true equality in our society.
William Lee Williams – senior
2019 Strong Men and Women Student Essay Contest
Eastern Region Winner
William Lee Williams – senior
Prize: MacBook Air
School: Granby High School
Principal: Dr. Lynnell Gibson
School award: $1,000
Within all humans there exists a capacity to love and to hate; within hate, the capacity to discriminate, alienate, ostracize, and belittle our fellow man exists. The groups discriminated against become marginalized members of society; specifically, elitists use their white race as a means to justify hatred and social inequities against African-American individuals. More often than not, the oppressed harbor an internal animosity towards the oppressor, which can show itself in fear or anger. It is easy to hate those that hate you, but it is hard to love those that show hatred towards you, and it is here that we find the definition for equality. Equality is the subversion of hate and the ability to love each person as a human being. There is no person who embodies this more than Fannie W. Fitzgerald.
Fannie Fitzgerald was an African American who came from a poor black family of 11 children. She grew up to attend Virginia Union University and get her teaching degree. Afterwards, she taught in a series of black schools that were so poor that they didn’t have plumbing, a cafeteria, or more than one schoolroom. Ironically, the school where she taught, Antioch-McCrae, was situated near wealthy white-only schools. When Fannie was offered a position to become one of the first four black teachers to teach wealthier white children in Prince William County, she immediately accepted the position. Instead of holding anger towards the white children for having a better schooling environment than her own daughters, Fannie saw them as equals and taught them purely as individuals. To Fannie, “Children are Children. It doesn’t matter what color they are.” It is her resolve to treat the children of her oppressor with respect and reverence rather than with anger that makes her an exemplary model of equality.
Fannie’s strength to overcome her own internal conflicts is truly remarkable. I aim to embody this same strength in my daily life by conversing with those who have a differing point of view. I will encourage having discussions with the students in my classroom who support the current social rollbacks of Donald Trump from my liberal-minded, lower-socioeconomic perspective. By having conversations in an open and honest way, similar to how Fannie brought her perspective to the children in Prince William County, I will be able to strive for equality and understanding in my generation.
Loren Vermillion – junior
2019 Strong Men and Women Student Essay Contest
Western Region Winner
Loren Vermillion – junior
Prize: MacBook Air
School: Gate City High School
Scott County
Principal: Mike Lane
School award: $1,000
The dictionary defines equality as the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. Having grown up in a rural, predominantly white, Christian area, I have never truly experienced what inequality feels like. My lack of experience, however, does not mean I am unaware of the reality of inequality in many aspects of society. Fighting for equality is a battle that has plagued humanity since the beginning of time and something that can be considered the root of all other issues. However, there are certain steps that I, as well as all of society, can take in order to move forward in this war.
One person who inspires me to promote equality is Melody Barnes. In 1995, Barnes began working for Senator Edward Kennedy, serving as his chief counsel, and helping shape laws including civil rights, women’s health, and religious liberties. Specifically, Barnes was involved in the Initiative on Faith and Public Policy through the Center for American Progress, and was able to impact many lives and help contribute to reaching equality through her efforts. It is important to acknowledge that Barnes worked to improve issues that were close to her heart. As a society, we should all follow suit and fight against inequalities each one of us is passionate about, in order to enact a ripple effect. She said it perfectly in her speech during her induction into the Strong Men and Women of Virginia, when she said that leadership is inclusive, and we must all band together to enact change. We must strive to move forward in search of equality and peace by following the example of Barnes and others like her.
When I consider how I can embody equality, now and in the future, I find that the best way I can do it is by becoming an advocate for people—all people. Women cannot be the only ones fighting for women’s rights. Black people cannot be the only ones who believe black lives matter. How can it be the 21st century and we still need movements like Black Lives Matter and #Timesup? How can we have the knowledge to send people into space, but we can’t seem to figure out how to love others and demand equality? In order to promote equality, we must consciously embrace diversity. We must actively accept and advocate for others. Listen to those words—consciously embrace, actively accept, advocate. These are words of action, a call to arms. As much as we would like to believe that the world has moved away from forming blanket opinions of each other—we haven’t. True equality will come when we become a world that sees people first for who they are, period.
Katherine Stenner – sophomore
2019 Strong Men and Women Student Essay Contest
Central Region Winner
Katherine Stenner – sophomore
Prize: MacBook Air
School: Clover Hill High School
Principal: Dr. Deborah Marks
School award: $1,000
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines equality as “the state of being equal.” While this is accurate, I find it’s insufficient when applied to individuals. I see the word equality as symbolic of the belief that nobody’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is valued over another’s; we must fight to give everyone a chance to be equal. This sense of parity is inked in our Constitution, and there are few who understand how to achieve it better than Melody Barnes.
I had the honor of hearing Mrs. Barnes speak at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, and it’s clear she not only understands the significance of equality, but she recognizes how it’s achieved. I asked what equality means to her, and she said, “I think about equality, but I think about equity more. To me, that means giving everyone what they need so they can fulfill their potential.” Talking to her made me realize equality is not about just giving everyone the same thing. It’s giving everybody the means to level the playing field, and these means differ for each individual. This emphasis on equity changed my perception of how we can achieve fairness. Ensuring equal opportunity is more effective than trying to hold each person above our heads and raise them to the level of someone already on a high dive.
Barnes’s comprehension of equality is evident in the work she’s done. She worked under Senator Kennedy and President Obama, and during her time in Washington, DC, she focused on domestic policies supporting civil rights, education, and women’s health. Her whole career has been about giving people the tools they need to succeed, and when asked what she is most proud of, she said moving discussions towards supporting those who do not “have a seat at the table.” Mrs. Barnes has spent her life stimulating discussion about the hard truth that, currently, not everyone in America is created equal.
Speaking out against inequality is everyone’s civic duty. For me, that means participating in the Women’s March on DC or the LGBTQ Pride March. It also means contacting my representatives, voting in elections, and not letting others’ discomfort silence my opinion, because equality is something to be fought for by everyone. The best way to know how to achieve equality is to ask ourselves a question Mrs. Barnes asked me: “How do we become the America we’ve never been?”
