Explore These Notable Civil Rights Sites in Virginia

Civil Rights history in Virginia has a complicated legacy. As the home of the capital of the Confederacy, Virginia was the center of some of the hardest fought battles during the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed more lawsuits in Virginia than in any other state, hence many of the most important legal landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement originated here. 

Explore the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia at these sites, several of which are included on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

Virginia Civil Rights Memorial—Richmond

Outside of the Virginia State Capitol Building is the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial, a bronze and marble sculpture of Barbara Johns and other students who led a strike to protest their racially segregated school. Their protest led all the way to the Supreme Court and the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which found that "separate but equal" education policies were unconstitutional.

Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia—Richmond

BHMVA explores the history of Black individuals and communities in Virginia and beyond. The museum has rotating exhibitions concentrated on a variety of times in history, but includes items related to the sit-in protests of the Richmond 34 in its permanent collection.

Robert Russa Moton Museum—Farmville

You'll find the Robert Russa Moton Museum in the former R.R. Moton High School of Farmville. As the site of the first non-violent student demonstration in the United States, Moton directly led to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, which ruled that segregation of schools based on race was unconstitutional.

The Legacy Museum of African American History—Lynchburg

Initially sponsored by the Lynchburg branch of the NAACP, the Legacy Museum of African American History features exhibits about all aspects Central Virginia’s Black history, including the Civil Rights Movement. 

Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History—Danville

See how Danville garnered national attention for its Civil Rights demonstrations at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History. The permanent exhibit "The Movement: Danville's Civil Rights" lets visitors explore how the Danville Christian Progressive Association marched, argued, and fought for equal rights. The demonstrations included a 1960 sit-in at a segregated library—now the site of the museum itself. 

Alexandria Black History Museum—Alexandria

This Northern Virginia Black history museum documents the important contributions of Black Americans living in the region from 1749 to the present day. 

Alexandria Library—Alexandria

Take in the site of one of the earliest civil rights sit-ins at the former Barrett Branch of the Alexandria Library. On August 21, 1939, Black attorney Samuel Tucker, a native Alexandrian, organized a group of five fellow Black men to visit the all-white branch and apply for library cards. They were denied and arrested for civil disobedience after sitting down to read. 

Tinner Hill Monument—Falls Church

Erected by the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation in 1999, this fifteen-foot pink granite Roman archway honors the men and women of the historic Tinner Hill neighborhood, founders of the Falls Church  chapter of the NAACP and the organization’s first rural chapter in the United States.

Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail—Fredericksburg

Trace the path of history on the Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail, which includes more than 20 stops to learn about the places and people that played a part of the Civil Rights Movement. The trail is split in two parts—a 2.6-mile walking tour through Fredericksburg’s historic downtown district and a 1.9-mile driving tour that includes stop on the University of Mary Washington campus, Shiloh Cemetery, and the Dorothy Hart Community Center. 

Right the Record Walking Tour—Culpeper

Take a self-guided walking tour through Culpeper's Black history with the Right the Record program, brought to life by historian Zann Nelson and the African American Heritage Alliance. The tour includes six spots concentrated on East Davis Street, including the office of the town's first African American doctor and the Jennings Lunch and Pool Room, where many Black community members gathered during the Jim Crowe Era. 

Carver Price Legacy Museum—Appomattox

This museum documents the history of Carver-Price High School, a high school for Black students during segregation. In 1959, Prince Edward County closed its entire school system rather than integrate students—and the schools remained closed until 1964. During this time, Black students from Prince Edward County sought education from community groups and in other counties, and enrollment at Carver-Price increased to an excess of 50 students per classroom.

St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall—Blacksburg

Built in 1905, St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall is the only building remaining from New Town, a historic African American community in Blacksburg that thrived until the late 1960s. As one of the only places Black people were allowed to congregate outside of local churches, St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall was the centerpiece of social gatherings, including dinners, dances, fashion shows, bingo parties, mock weddings, Easter egg hunts, and ball games. Now a museum, the lodge highlights the significant contributions of African Americans to the town of Blacksburg through an exhibit titled “From Civil War to Civil Rights.”

Explore even more with our guide to 20+ museums and sites to learn about Black history in Virginia.