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Oliver White Hill, Sr. 1907 - 2007
¶Oliver White Hill, Sr. died on August 5, 2007 in his North Side home in Richmond, Virginia. He was 100
years old. Oliver White Hill, Sr.''s legacy can be found in so much we take for granted. That we all can attend any public schools, sit where we want on buses and trains, serve on juries, gain jobs in any field, buy property in any neighborhood, receive equal pay and enjoy a host of other liberties.
¶Such equality did not exist until a few years ago and much of it is thanks to the tireless dedication of Mr. Hill and a band of lawyers like him who led the fight to knock down court and government-imposed barriers that under-girded white supremacy. He was one of the black attorneys that helped win the U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision that outlawed school segregation and triggered Massive Resistance.
¶In the 1990''s, Richmond named its new Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courthouse for him and also named the street in front of the courthouse for him. In 2005, Governor Mark Warner dedicated a building on Capital Square in his name, making Mr. Hill the first black person to have his name on a state building. Also, a planned civil rights memorial on Capitol Square -- the first to honor black heroes -- will include his image. The sculpture is expected to be completed by 2009.
¶In May at his 100th birthday party, a foundation named for him announced it had purchased Mr. Hill''s boyhood home in Roanoke to serve as a civil rights and legal services center. Oliver White Hill, Sr. called us all "human earthlings".
Published: August 13, 2007
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