Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday first observed on January 20, 1986, three years after President Ronald Reagan signed legislation to create the official occasion. Local governments are closed today in observation but last week the Albemarle Board of Supervisors adopted a relevant proclamation.
“Whereas, just a century after the Emancipation Proclamation, in 1963, Dr. King and allied forces marched on Washington and delivered the revered ‘I have a Dream’ speech, advocating for the end of racial segregation and societal inequality,” read Supervisor Ann Mallek of the White Hall District.
“In honoring his legacy, MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities,” Mallek continued.
The proclamation also points out that the section of Albemarle County’s strategic plan on “core values” includes the phrase “we expect diversity, equity, and inclusion to be integrated into how we live our mission.”
In local government, proclamations are often accepted by representatives from the community. In this case, Albemarle offered the document to the Ivy Creek Natural Area Foundation. That organization also runs the historic Riverview Farm which was purchased in 1870 by the formerly enslaved Hugh Carr. Education Coordinator Mariah Payne was intended to make remarks but her mother read from what she had prepared.
“It is a privilege to share and preserve the stories of African Americans in Albemarle County,” Payne’s mother said on her behalf. “I want to first and foremost acknowledge the Car Grier family and their descendants whose dedication and service have profoundly enriched our community and beyond.”
Payne’s father recently turned 80 and had gone to school at both the Albemarle Training Center as well as Burley High School. Both were in existence before the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that made segregation by race unlawful.
“In 1963, he joined a group that was arrested for protesting Jim Crow at a segregated movie theater, “It is because of these individuals that Ivy Creek stands as the place of reflection, learning and celebration.”
Susie Erhardt is the executive director of the Ivy Creek Natural Area which operates on the land Carr once owned with this wife Texie Mae Hawkins.
“Together they built a legacy of hope and opportunity for their children, believing that education could transform lives and open new doors,” Erhardt said. “Riverview Farm, now an African American historic site, preserves the home and barn of the Carr-Greer family. During the Jim Crow era, Riverview Farm served as a safe haven, a place for education club meetings and a refuge for African Americans seeking solace and strength.”
Erhardt went on to provide much more details such as the story of Carr’s oldest daughter, Mary Carr Greer. Erhardt described her as a champion of voting rights.
“In the 1940s, she helped adults navigate literacy tests, pay poll taxes and claim their political voice,” Erhardt said. “Mrs. Mary Carr Greer’s husband, Mr. Conley Greer, the first African American extension agent here in Albemarle county, was equally pioneering. He worked tirelessly for African American farmers to improve their agricultural output and achieve economic independence.”
In 2023, Riverview Farm was added to the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Network.
Scottsville District Supervisor Michael Pruitt said Martin Luther King Jr. pushed people to question much of what had been established in society.
“He was someone who was fundamentally, deeply radical,” Pruitt said. He after all, called on people to make an assessment of the moral worth of existing laws and finding them lacking, recognize that they should not be followed. That is a radical position. And he is someone who was fundamentally leading a movement that was unapologetically Christian.”
Supervisor Ned Gallaway of the Rio District said he often reads King’s writing around this time of year and what jumped out this time was a speech on loving your enemies that King gave on November 17, 1957. He read an excerpt.
“A second thing that an individual must do in seeking to love his enemy is to discover the element of good in his enemy,” Gallaway read. “And every time you begin to hate that person and think of hating that person, realize that there is some good there and look at those good points which will overbalance the bad points later.”
Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968 at the age of 39.
Before you go: This article was originally sent out as part of the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter in the January 20, 2025 edition. Both are functions of Town Crier Productions. You can support the work by purchasing a paid subscription or contributing monthly through Patreon. You can also send in a check or send an email, but drop me a line first.
The main photo in this post is of the Carr/Greer Family Residence was taken by Dede Smith. Learn more at this link.
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