St. John’s Church and the City of Hampton both have very extensive and interconnected histories. These histories are filled with both high points and low points. One of the most complex chapters would be the story of race relations in Hampton, a story tainted by the horrors of slavery and Jim Crow, but which also includes very positive aspects such as where Hampton voluntarily desegregated its schools while many localities in Virginia resisted doing so. A few of the notable events are:
1619: A ship carrying the first Africans to the English colonies arrived at Fort Monroe. Slavery was soon well established in Virginia.
The Civil War: The contraband decision. Three escaped slaves arrive at Ft. Monroe. As they had been working on Confederate military projects, General Butler (the Union commander at Fort Monroe) declared them to be “contraband of war” and refused to return them. Soon escaped slaves from all over the South begin to flee to Ft. Monroe.
Reconstruction Era: Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) is established to educate the freed slaves. Some of the students worshipped at St. John’s. Unfortunately, this did not stop segregation and Jim Crow laws from being established in Hampton.
Civil Rights Era: The Supreme Court strikes down segregated schools in its landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, and Virginia’s statewide program of Massive Resistance collapses. Hampton integrates its schools promptly and voluntarily, while many neighboring localities continue to resist for several years. Some localities only integrate after specific court orders, and a few even close their schools for a period of time.
While we have made great progress in the road towards full integration and equality, we need to remember that the legacy of Jim Crow still negatively impacts our community and many people still have wounds that have not healed.
Originally published in St. John’s Epistle, November 2015.