Commentary

On Monday, July 21, Virginia will take a long overdue step of honoring civil rights heroes of the Commonwealth with the dedication of a Civil Rights Memorial on Capitol Square in Richmond. The four sides of a large granite panel will feature a depiction of heroes cast in bronze who brought Virginia out of a dark chapter of her history.
 
One side of the memorial will recall the events of April 23, 1951, when a 16-year-old girl named Barbara Johns led 450 students at Robert R. Morton High School in Farmville in Prince Edward County on a walkout and demonstration to protest the intolerable conditions of the tarpaper buildings in which they were required to go to school. The lawsuit that came out of the demonstration upholding the students' protest was Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County. That case was joined with four other cases to become Brown v. Board of Education that in 1954 struck down the segregation of public schools. Another side of the memorial has bronze images of Oliver Hill and Spotswood Robinson III who were the attorneys who represented the students. A third panel of the memorial has a bronze image of the Rev. Leslie Francis Griffin who advised the students. The final panel has representations of students facing a brighter future.
 
The bravery of the students and those who supported them was pivotal in getting a civil rights movement for equal educational opportunities for all students underway in Virginia. A sad chapter of Virginia's history followed as it took dozens more lawsuits to overcome Virginia's "massive resistance" to school integration. The memorial will bring balance to the telling of Virginia's history on Capitol Square for ironically on the other end of the Square is a lone bronze statue of former Governor and Senator Harry F. Byrd who led the massive resistance effort. The Memorial is fittingly just outside the gate of the Governor's Mansion where the first African American governor, L. Douglas Wilder, lived when he was governor.
 
To learn more about the Memorial and what it represents as well as to contribute to the Foundation that constructed it, go to www.vacivilrightsmemorial.org.

Delegate Ken Plum's Weekly "Virginia Report"
on Reston Comcast Channel 28

Announcements

Congratulations to Tysons Corner Center as it celebrates its 40th anniversary this month.
 
Agents at the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) will assist Northern Virginia veterans with filing claims for state and federal veterans benefits and with certain other benefits such as veterans compensation and pension claims, dependency and indemnity compensation for widows/widowers and children of disabled veterans, widows' pensions, dependents' education, veteran home loans, and death benefit claims. Visits are scheduled for the Loudoun County Workforce Center, Middleburg Community Center, American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax, the VFW Post 7589 in Manassas, as well as Dahlgren, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Leesburg, Stephens City, Warrenton, and Winchester. Agents will also be visiting the Pentagon and Ft. Belvoir. Visits to these sites will be at least monthly and in some cases weekly. For a detailed schedule of DVS agent visits and hours and other information about services for veterans and their family members, go to www.virginiaforveterans.com.
 
"Safe Routes to School" is getting children more physically active, improving health, and increasing traffic safety by improving transportation infrastructure around schools, encouraging physical activity, educating students on traffic safety, enforcing traffic safety laws, and bringing together schools and their communities to develop long range plans. Learn more about Virginia's Safe Routes to School program at www.saferoutesvirginia.org or through accessing the Virginia page of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership's website, www.saferoutespartnership.org.
 
Fairfax County was "positioned at the eye of the Civil War's storm" and provided valuable insulation between North and South, with battles raging within and all around. The land here still tells the story. To learn more about the treasure trove of battlefields and other points of interest in our area and to plan your day trips, go to www.fxva.com. 
 
View voting records, biographical information, issue positions, interest group ratings, and much more about candidates running for office in 2008 from Operation Vote Smart at www.votesmart.org.

Calendar of Events

The National Capital Region 2-1-1 Conference:  Partnerships in Preparedness will be held on Thursday, July 17, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the National Association of Home Builders offices, 1201 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC.  The conference will bring together regional emergency management officials, public information officers, health and human services providers, information and referral representatives, and others interested in learning more about the 2-1-1 program. For more information contact mascarrunz@nonprofitroundtable.org.
 
Take part in the annual Reston Dragonfly Count led by Kevin Munroe, a favorite walk leader in our area. A training program for the Dragonfly Count will be held on Thursday, July 17, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Reston Association Central Services Facility, 12250 Sunset Hills Road, to learn how to identify Reston's common dragonflies and prepare for the official Count on July 19. Meet again at the RA Central Services Facility on July 19 for the Count Walk beginning at 9:45 a.m. For reservations and information call 703.435.7986. Reservations are required for the training program by Monday, July 14 and for the Dragonfly Count Walk by Wednesday, July 16.
 
Local real estate professionals are invited to the next "Lunch with RA" on Tuesday, July 29, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Reston Association, 1930 Isaac Newton Square. Along with lunch, giveaways, and networking, area real estate professionals will hear the latest news on the changes to the Virginia Property Owners Association Act (POAA) relating to the disclosure documents, presented by RA's General Counsel, Ken Chadwick. Question and answer time will follow. RSVP to Michelle Parlier at michellep@reston.org or 703.435.6575.
 
The Coalition for Smarter Growth will host a forum, "Growing Cooler: Smart Growth Solutions to Climate Change," on Tuesday, July 29, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the National Capital Planning Commission, 401 9th Street NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC. Guest speaker will be Geoff Anderson of Smart Growth America. Smart growth has never been so important. In a time of rising energy prices, increasing commute times, and concern about climate change, smart growth remains a key solution to the challenges we face in the region.  For registration or more information contact jack@smartergrowth.net.

The Fairfax County 4-H Fair is at Frying Pan Farm Park August 2-3. For more information, call 703.324.5353.

Reston Association will thank its volunteers with a poolside cookout on Wednesday, August 13, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Glade Pool, 11550 Glade Drive, Reston. Enjoy carnival style food, music, games, great door prizes and more. RSVP by August 1 to Ha Brock at habrock@reston.org or 703.435.7986. Rain date is August 14.

Attend Pioneer Network's 8th National Conference, "A Call to Action," on Thursday, August 21, 2008. This conference will offer concurrent sessions about issues and experiences dealing with long term care. For more information about changing the culture of aging and long term care of elders in America, and to register for the National Conference, visit www.pioneernetwork.net

Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum | 2073 Cobblestone Lane | Reston | VA | 20191