City honors 27 who protested after being segregated from their 1950 high school graduation

Fredericksburg honored 27 students who couldn’t attend their graduation ceremony because of the Jim Crow south.

In 1950, 27 students from Walker-Grant High School could not attend their graduation ceremony held at the Dorothy Hart Community Center, at 408 Canal Street in Downtown Fredericksburg.

Later, the city relented, saying they could attend their graduation but only if they promised not to use the front door while coming and going.

The students held a demonstration outside the community center, which attracted nearly 300 protesters. Ultimately, the graduates received their diplomas nearby at the old Shiloh Baptist Church.

Now, a historical marker stands to memorialize the 1950 graduates. During the unveiling event on Thursday, February 10, Fredericksburg Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw remarked on the occasion of celebrating the graduates. Before making her remarks, Greenlaw recited a quote by noted African-American author James Baldwin. Baldwin is know for books such as “Notes of a Native Son” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

“The history that we are here to acknowledge today is very important to respect the memory of the people who stood up with grace, bravery and dignity. We are proud to place this historic marker to show our respect for those 27 people who showed their bravery.”

Also honored at the event was Sonny Holmes, who championed telling this story. Holmes was given a commendation by the city and was given a check of $2,500 by the Mayfield Civic Association to be used in the creation of the Holmes Local History Fund. The fund will be used for local history preservation and storytelling purposes.

Fredericksburg City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marceline Catlett was also on hand to present a piece of artwork commissioned in honor of graduates. Catlett read out the names of the graduates, the names of surviving graduates, and the names of family members who couldn’t make it or passed on.

Fredericksburg Public Schools presented the graduates with diplomas commemorating their stand. The diplomas were mailed to their recipients a week before the event.

Later, the event’s master of ceremonies, Latifah Mohammad, the daughter of one of the protesters, remarked about the value of Critical Race Theory in its influence in putting a spotlight on events such as the 1950 protest. Mohammad’s remarks addressed Mayor Greenlaw and other assembled members of the city government.

“You have demonstrated the process of which critical race theory works and comes to the right conclusions where people research, study, communicate, plan, develop, and then educate the city,” said Mohammad.

Vice Mayor Charlie Frye Jr. made closing remarks, who related that many of his own relatives, including his mother, were graduates of Walker-Grant.

“This story is why we’re here today. This is what Fredericksburg and the community look like. Fredericksburg has taken the baton to tell the stories, and I can’t wait until I reflect on those stories when I’m older. It won’t just be the black story of Fredericksburg. It’ll be the story of the city of Fredericksburg.”

Walker-Grant became a middle school after the Fredericksburg School System became integrated in 1968. The school moved into a new building on Learning Lane in 1988, retaining the Walker-Grant name.

Today, the school system still uses the original building for administrative offices and the HeadStart program.