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Great New Books on Organizing:

In June, Roanoke City Council voted 5 to 1 to close off portions of First Street and Loudon Avenue, taking one more step towards a planned federal office building in that area. This vote reversed the 6 to 1 vote from the City Planning Commission on May 18, 2006 recommending that the streets be kept open. The Planning Commission’s decision was consistent with the City’s original long-term redevelopment plans for the Henry Street (First Street) section of the Gainsboro neighborhood.

Evelyn Bethel, president of the Gainsboro Steering Committee, said, “Of course, we are extremely disappointed that the City Council did not follow the recommendation of its own Planning Commission. The Gainsboro Steering Committee will be evaluating what our next steps should be, as we fight to preserve our community.”

The Gainsboro area includes many of Roanoke’s key historical landmarks. Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places include St. Andrews Catholic Church, Hotel Roanoke, the Gainsboro Library, and the Norfolk and Western Railway building (now the Higher Education Center and Eight Jefferson Place). In addition to these notable landmarks, the Gainsboro neighborhood was home to several African-Americans whose life achievements affected the nation.

One former neighborhood resident, Oliver W. Hill, at 99 was recently described in Virginia Lawyer, the magazine of the Virginia State Bar, as “one of the last survivors of a small band of lawyers who — through the rule of law — brought down the American apartheid, or Jim Crow system, and changed the nation.” Another neighborhood resident, Judge Edward R. Dudley, became the first African-American United States ambassador and a New York State Supreme Court justice.

The Henry Street area of Gainsboro was considered the heart and soul of this historically black community. The decision by the Roanoke City Council to close off the streets in order to accommodate plans for a regional Social Security Administration office is not the last hurdle for the developer and the Roanoke Neighborhood Development Corporation. Before construction can begin, legal historical preservation requirements have to be met. “This fight is certainly not over yet,” Bethel said.

For additional information, contact Evelyn Bethel of the Gainsboro Steering Committee at (540) 342-0728.

For more information on the Roanoke Area VOP Chapter, contact Barry Butler bbutler@virginia-organizing.org or (540) 989-1419.