Virginia Randolph

She was born on June 8, 1870[5] or 1874, in Richmond, Virginia.[3][6][7] Born only five years after the end of the American Civil War (1861–1865) and Emancipation for the slaves in her community, Virginia Randolph was the third child of former slaves Sarah Elizabeth Carter Randolph and Edward Nelson Randolph. At the age of 16, she graduated from Richmond Normal School (now Armstrong High School) in Richmond, Virginia.[8]

Randolph began her career as a school teacher. After a short teaching experience in Goochland County, she secured a teaching position with the Henrico County School Board. She opened the Mountain Road School in the north-central part of the county in 1892. As a teacher there, Randolph taught her students woodworking, sewing, cooking, and gardening, as well as academics.[9]

In 1908, Henrico County Superintendent of Schools Jackson T. Davis named her to become the United States' first "Jeanes Supervising Industrial Teacher."[2] Anna T. Jeanes, a wealthy Philadelphia Quaker, had set aside $1 million to establish a fund to maintain and assist rural schools for African Americans in the South. Among its projects, the Jeanes Foundation provided funds to employ black "supervisors" dedicated to upgrading vocational training programs for black students.[10] African-American supervisors of teachers in the rural south from 1908 to 1968, Jeanes teachers (formally called Jeanes supervising industrial teachers) worked toward improving the communities of schools.

As the overseer of twenty-three elementary schools in Henrico County, Randolph developed the first in-service training program for black teachers and worked on improving the curriculum of the schools. With the freedom to design her own agenda, she shaped industrial work and community self-help programs to meet specific needs of schools.[8] She chronicled her progress by becoming the author of the Henrico Plan which became a reference book for southern schools receiving assistance from the Jeanes Foundation, which became known as the Negro Rural School Fund.[11] Randolph's teaching techniques and philosophy were later adopted in Great Britain's African colonies.[8]

On March 30, 1908, following a proclamation by Virginia Governor Claude A. Swanson, Randolph founded the first Arbor Day Program in Virginia. She and her students planted twelve sycamore trees. Some of the trees remain standing as living monuments, but over the years, some of the trees were lost to disease. In 1976, the remaining ones were named the first notable trees in Virginia by the National Park Service.[2]

In 1915, Randolph opened the Virginia Randolph Training School and later expanded the facility to include dormitories for future teachers. It was later renamed to Virginia Randolph Education Center.[2]

Randolph was appointed to the Industrial School Board of Colored Children after the death of another noted Richmonder, Maggie L. Walker. She also served for many years on the Inter-Racial and Health Board for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

After a 57-year career with Henrico County Public Schools, Randolph retired in 1949. A foundation to honor her and award scholarships was formed in 1954. She died in Richmond on March 16, 1958, at the age of 84.[1][3]

Statue of Virginia Randolph included in the Virginia Women's Monument.

• the Virginia Randolph Fund was founded in 1936 as a tribute to her. The Southern Education Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation, was created in 1937 from four funds intended to support education for blacks: the Peabody Education Fund, the John F. Slater Fund, the Negro Rural School Fund, and the Virginia Randolph Fund.[12][13]
• The Virginia Randolph Home Economics Cottage was made into a museum in memory of Randolph in 1970. The Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission designated the museum a State Historic Landmark. In 1976 the museum was named a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of Interior, National Park Service.[3][14] Randolph reportedly had an office in the building. Her gravesite is on the grounds.

• The Academy at Virginia Randolph, formerly Virginia Randolph Community High School, in Glen Allen, Virginia is named in her honor.[15]
• Virginia Randolph Foundation, Inc formed in 1954, annually awards scholarships to Henrico County high school students who will be attending a 4 year college or university.[1]

• Virginia Randolph
• Henrico County Board of Supervisors and County Manager's Office
• The Academy at Virginia Randolph
• The African American Registry
• Virginia Randolph Foundation website
• Randolph's profile at the Library of Virginia