NEW AT 5 - WE'RE
FOLLOWING-UP WITH A STORY
WE FIRST TOLD YOU ABOUT
IN
FEBRUARY.
NEARLY 60 YEARS SINCE A
HISTORIC BLACK CATHOLIC
CHURCH AND SCHOOL WAS
DEMOLISHED -- IT'S NOW
BEING GIVEN THE
RECOGNITION IT DESERVES.
(TOM)
ST. JOSEPH'S IS BEING
HONORED WITH A PLAQUE TO
COMMEMORATE ITS
PLACE IN HISTORY.
10 ON YOUR SIDE'S KARA
DIXON HAS BEEN FOLLOWING
THIS STORY.
KARA, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN
TO THE COMMUNITY?
(KARA)
THOSE WHO WORKED HARD TO
GET THIS MARKER UP SAY
THIS IS REALLY JUST A
TRIBUTE-A THANK YOU TO
ALL THOSE WHO WENT TO
THRIVING DURING A TIME
OF SEGREGATION.
BUT IT CLOSED IN 1961.
IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO WHERE
MCARTHUR CENTER IS
LOCATED.
AND THOSE WHO ATTENDED OR
HAD RELATIVES ATTEND HOPE
THIS MARKER WILL
SIGNIFY THEIR PLACE IN
HISTORY.
(KARA DIXON)
A COLD FALL DAY COULDN'T
STOP THE WARMTH BUDDING
WITHIN MELVINA
HERBERT'S HEART.
I'M OVERJOYED AND I'M NOT
UNVEIL A HISTORICAL
MARKER-SHARING THE ROOTS
OF THEIR FAITHFUL
COMMUNITY.
NOW WE HAVE A MARKER AND
THEY SAY A PICTURE IS
WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
AND SO MUCH MORE TO
REMEMBER ST. JOSEPH'S
CATHOLIC CHURCH AND
SCHOOLTHAT OPENED IN 1889
AND CLOSED IN 1961.
IT PROVIDED REFUGE FOR
THE BLACK COMMUNITY
DURING THE HARD YEARS OF
SEGREGATION.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL
MONUMENT. IT'S IN THE
RIGHT PLACE BECAUSE IT'S
WHERE THE FRONT
OF THE CHURCH WAS
REGINALD RUFFIN WOULD
KNOW...
I STARTED ST JOSEPHS
SCHOOL IN 1939. I WAS 6
YEARS OLD
AND MORE THAN 80 YEARS
LATER HE STILL REMEMBERS
THE LEGACY IT LEFT
BEHIND-THE CITY'S FIRST
MARCHING BAND, FOOTBALL
TEAM, AND AN EDUCATION BY
PRIESTS
AND NUNS BENT ON MAKING
SURE THE STUDENTS
SUCCEEDED.
THIS IS AWESOME .THIS IS
AN HONOR. NOT JUST TO ST.
JOSEPH BUT TO THE CITY
FOR WHAT ST.
JOSEPH PRODUCED AMONG THE
AFRICAN AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
THEY TOLD US WE COULD DO
WHATEVER WE WANTED.
AND THAT INCLUDES PUTTING
UP THIS MARKER-A TRIBUTE
SHOWCASING AND
REMINDING US ABOUT THE
REAL MEANING OF
COMMUNITY.
THIS IS JUST A BEGINNING
THIS IS JUST A BEGINNING
(KARA)
WHEN ST. JOSEPH'S CLOSED
MANY OF THE PARISHIONERS
WENT ON TO THE BASILLICA
ST.
MARY'S OF THE IMMACULATE
CONCEPTION IN NORFOLK.
THAT CHURCH BECAME THE
ONLY AFRICAN AMERICAN
MINOR BASILLICA.
KARA DIXON 10 ON YOUR
