Bill Text: VA SR22 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the life and legacy of Susan G. Gibson.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-01-25 - Bill text as passed Senate (SR22ER) [SR22 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SR22-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Susan G. Gibson, a pioneering education administrator and community activist, played a pivotal role in advancing the education of Black children in Bedford County in the first half of the 20th century; and
WHEREAS, born on October 29, 1878, in the Oak Mountain community of Bedford County to parents who were formerly enslaved, Susan "Susie" Gibson went on to earn a certificate from the former Virginia Seminary and College in Lynchburg and later a degree from what is today Virginia State University; and
WHEREAS, after serving as an educator for several years, Susie Gibson became what was known at the time as a Jeanes Supervisor, a position supported by the Jeanes Foundation in which she effectively served as the superintendent of segregated Black schools in the Bedford County area; and
WHEREAS, as Jeanes Supervisor, Susie Gibson surveyed and assessed the schools in her district while also offering lessons to students in various edifying subjects and supporting teachers through the provision of materials; and
WHEREAS, recognizing the importance of a quality education, Susie Gibson regularly spoke at area churches to encourage young people to attend school; and
WHEREAS, beyond her work in education, Susie Gibson was actively involved in civic affairs through various organizations in Bedford County, including the American Red Cross and the Bedford County Tuberculosis Association, which she served as chair; and
WHEREAS, when a new high school was opened for Black students in Bedford County in 1954, five years after Susie Gibson had passed away, the local school board named the institution in her honor, making it the only school in the Commonwealth at the time to be named for a Black woman; and
WHEREAS, following the desegregation of the Commonwealth's schools, Susie G. Gibson High School was renamed the Bedford Educational Center in 1970; however, in 2020, the Bedford County School Board voted unanimously to rechristen the school the Susie G. Gibson Science and Technology Center to honor her memory; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, a Virginia Department of Historic Resources highway marker was unveiled to memorialize Susie Gibson and Susie G. Gibson High School, recognizing the important roles they played in the local history of Bedford County; and
WHEREAS, Susie Gibson will long be remembered for her unwavering efforts to lift up Black students and educators and to promote unity and reconciliation in the community of Bedford County; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the life and legacy of Susie G. Gibson hereby be commemorated on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of her death; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to descendants of Susie G. Gibson as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's high esteem for her contributions to Bedford County and the Commonwealth.
