Black History Month - Government

Each week during February 2021, the Surry County Historical Society Facebook page will have a “Then and Now” post that features Surry residents from the past and present who shared similar occupations or roles in life. There are many more examples that could be written about for all of these areas, but we have just chosen a few to feature! 

Week 3 - Government

THEN! In 1866, Blacks were elected to both state and local offices, including men who were from Surry County or represented the county. William Andrews of Surry served in the Continental Convention in 1867-68 and then served in the VA House of Delegates. Edward Davis Bland was born in Dinwiddie, but represented Prince George and Surry Counties as a 3 term delegate to the VA House of Delegates, yielding his seat in the 4th term. William Faulcon was born in Surry in 1841, probably into slavery. He attended a meeting of Republicans to nominate a candidate for the Senate of VA in October 1871 and 1885. Later, he was nominated to run for the House of Delegates in September of 1885. Meanwhile, he had acquired almost 100 acres of land over the last years. He was the Republican nominee again in 1891 to represent Prince George and Surry, but withdrew shortly before Election Day!  He participated in the nomination convention again in 1898 and died in 1904.

Now!  Forward to the November 1971 election in Surry County when the majority of those elected for the county’s Board of Supervisors were Black, M. Sherlock Holmes, Walter N. Hardy, and Edward Johns. Mr. Holmes was elected Chairman of the Board at the first meeting on January 20, 1972. Surry County was the first county in Virginia to be under Black leadership since Reconstruction, according to an article that appeared in the January 22, 1972 issue of The New York Times!  The county was about 65% Black at that time but had no Black representation on the Board. Working with Donald D. Anderson, the Assembly was formed. The purpose of the Assembly was to strengthen neighborhood institutions and leadership at the grassroots level. As one of its first acts after organizing in 1970, they led a voter registration drive, which led to the three men being elected to the Board.

Earlier, Newton M. Taliaferro moved to Surry County in 1968, with his wife, Mozelle, who was from Surry. He was asked if he would be willing to serve on the school board, and was quoted as saying he would accept the job “to do the best I can.” He made history by being the first Black person to be named to a key policy-making Board in Surry and went on to be the Chairman of the School Board from 1973 until his death in 1986. 

Later, in 1977, Dr. C. P. Penn became Superintendent of Surry County Public Schools, the first Black person to serve in that position. He is credited with significantly improving the county’s public schools and school buildings, for example.  From 1970-1980, Alma Gibbs, was the first black to serve on Dendron’s Town Council, and then became the first Black mayor. In 2020, in the local town elections, Ben Savedge was elected the first Black mayor of the town of Surry and sworn in on June 25, after serving on the town’s planning committee and the Town Council.

Sources:
Encyclopediavirigina.org, William Faulcon
Preservationvirginia.org, Smith’s Fort Plantation
Surry County, Virginia, HISTORICAL TIMELINE, With Addendums by James E. Atkins
(Taliaferro) surrycountyvahistory.org - Article by Barbara Hopper
(Penn) Daily Press, August 5, 1991
(Board of Supervisors)  Daily Press, March 22, 1992; New York Times, January 22, 1972, July 15, 1978; Smithfield Times,  Nov. 26, 2003