The Connection

This article was published in the August-September issue of the Tauxemont News.

Long-time Tauxemonter Virginia Dare Shuford Williams passed away on June 29. Virginia and her husband, Bill, moved to Tauxemont in 1965, and reared their two daughters Lollie Williams Rinehardt and Judy Rasayon. Lollie wrote on Facebook, “Having moved to Tauxemont in 1965, the community welcomed us with open arms. Mom loved Tauxemont.” Bill passed away in 1981. Virginia lived at 1311 Alexandria Avenue and moved to assisted living a few years ago.

From the program for Virginia’s July 10 Celebration of Life: “. . . they (Virginia and Bill) were the first African-American family to integrate the Tauxemont community in the Fort Hunt/Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County. Her family in Washington, D.C., declared that Virginia had moved ‘to the country. . . to a community with no street lights or sidewalks.’ Virginia loved her Tauxemont community.”

In 2017, Virginia then 81, and another Tauxemonter, the late Alma Fortson, 88, received awards for outstanding community service at the 63rd annual Freedom Fund and Awards Banquet sponsored by the Fairfax Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that year.

At the time, I profiled them for the Mount Vernon Voice newspaper and wrote, "Both women had long careers in public school guidance and tried to steer young people down constructive paths. Most of the time, it worked. 'First you have to help kids recognize their own value. Once they have a feeling of self worth, they can deal with the larger world,' said Williams.

"Williams recounted her struggles with the Fairfax County schools. She was put on the former Hollin Hall Elementary School’s Book Committee in 1967, after her husband complained that in the Virginia history textbook, the only pictures of black girls were little ones in flouncy crinolines and pantaloons, reminiscent of eras past. From that, she launched Black Parents for Quality Education in Mount Vernon and the Black Cultural Alliance for students because both groups felt they had no voice. 'We had to give them a feeling of belonging,' she pointed out.

"Even though in 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson decision and legally dismantled school segregation, Fairfax County, like many jurisdictions, dawdled and did not fully integrate the schools for 11 years, 1965.

"The legacy lingered. A decade later, when African-American students at the former Fort Hunt High School tried out for a play, the drama coach said, 'There are no roles for black kids.' That meant 'no maids, no garbage men,' said Fortson with a laugh. So Williams and others found the resources and put on 'Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope,' with local actress and Tauxemonter, Rusty Clauss, directing. When the president of the student council, a white student, saw the play, with an all-black cast, he said 'I had no idea the black kids were that talented,' Williams recalled with pride ….

"Were lessons learned? 'I learned that you have to speak up,' Williams said. 'And working with young people brings great rewards,' she exuded.

"At Fort Hunt High School, Williams founded Looking in the Looking Glass, a support group for young black women in the 1980s. 'You’re beautiful,' she told them. 'I had to help them feel good about themselves,' she explained ….

"Northern Virginia did not have the explosive civil rights battles of some of the Deep South towns like Selma, Alabama, or Jena, Louisiana, of late. The problems have been more like a nagging undercurrent. Fortson said that when she and her husband were house hunting in Mount Vernon the 1960s, the Realtor tried to steer them away from certain neighborhoods, saying, 'These houses are not open to blacks.'

"Today they can laugh about the strictures of the segregated society they knew as young girls. In Norfolk, Va., one restroom said, 'White Ladies' and the other said 'Black Women.' 'My mother said, ‘The Bible never spoke of ladies,’ chuckled Fortson. Williams tells a story about 'Colored'” and 'White' water fountains. She got cold stares as she drank from both and announced, 'I drank the ‘white’ water and I drank the ‘colored’ water. I don’t see any difference!'

"Are there challenges today? Absolutely, they both say. Broadening the horizons of young people and instilling self-esteem are ongoing. They are not tasks; they are moral responsibilities.

"While most of the legal and social barriers have technically fallen, some persist. ‘Sunday morning is still segregated,’ said Williams. 'You have Aldersgate United Methodist Church, a “white” church, on Fort Hunt Road and you have Roberts United Methodist Church, a “black” church on Fordson Road.' She recounted meeting with local ministers in the late 1960s to address this when one white minister said that his church had had a black family for awhile, but 'his people didn’t want them.'”

Virginia was the first African-American woman to hold the position of director of guidance in the county, when she took that position at Mount Vernon High School. She helped start Mount Vernon Estate’s Slave Commemoration Ceremony in 1990 and was a leader in Black Women United for Action (BWFUA).

Originally from Granite Quarry, N.C., Virginia was a lay member of the Virginia State Bar. She worked with Route 1 Corridor Housing, Jack and Jill of America and Delta Sigma Theta. She had several political appointments, including the Virginia Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee.

A Tribute, by Amy O’Donnell: “Unfortunately, I did not meet Virginia until two years before she moved away. I was acting as groundskeeper for Tauxemont and was clearing out the Gahant Path. Virginia came out (first) to offer me a drink, and (second) to ask me what I was doing.

“Virginia came upon me as I was killing poison ivy. As I was explaining that the poison ivy had taken over the Gahant Path, I saw that she was standing (in sandals!) in a thick of poison ivy up to her calves, easily eight inches high in her own yard. She was completely immune to the stuff. We decided to eradicate it there as well because she worried that her grandkids would get rashes. Together we entered into the poison ivy eradication project.

“Over the course of the summer we became buddies. But after about a year and a half Virginia stopped coming out. One day, I ran into her lovely daughter and found out Virginia was going away soon.

“Virginia and I both knew and loved Flossie Surovell, so we had some good laughs remembering her. Apparently, there were some pretty wild, weekly poker games in the day. Virginia also reminisced about the Gahant Path, how folks would wander out to their backyards and mingle in the path at the end of the day.

“It was a brief friendship, but she left a lasting impression on me. She was a gracious and loving soul with an amazing sense of humor.”

Former Tauxemonter Mary Stauss posted on Facebook: "A wonderful woman and I was fortunate to have such a good neighbor for so many years. My kids were great friends with hers."

You can send donations in Virginia's memories to BWUFA, 6551 Loisdale Court, Suite 400, Springfield, VA 22150 and notes to the family at Judith Rasayon, 9002 Tocca Drive, Clinton, MD 20735.