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Black History Month

Black History Month
FILE - In this May 11, 2016, file photo, a replica of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello stands in Somers, Conn. Friendly's ice cream co-founder S. Prestley Blake built the home in 2014. Blake, who co-founded the Friendly's restaurant chain with his younger brother Curtis, in Springfield, in 1935, died Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at age 106. (AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb, File)

Sally Hemings: A story that often goes untold

Read full article: Sally Hemings: A story that often goes untold

Sally Hemings is a name that is seldom seen in history books, yet one that forces many to confront our nation’s difficult past.

Allen Iverson #3 and John Thompson, head coach of Georgetown Hoyas during a time out of a basketball game at Capital Centre on December 1, 1994 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton)

Allen Iverson: NBA Hall of Famer and sports icon from Hampton

Read full article: Allen Iverson: NBA Hall of Famer and sports icon from Hampton

Hall of Famer Allen Iverson came to define 2000s basketball, his ferocious and flashy play on the court combined with a fiery personality made him a fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love.

FILE - In this Tuesday, May 31, 1983 file photo, Philadelphia 76ers Julius Erving, left, and Moses Malone, right, hold the NBA Championship trophy after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles. Malone, a three-time NBA MVP and one of...

Moses Malone: NBA Champion and Basketball Hall-of-Famer

Read full article: Moses Malone: NBA Champion and Basketball Hall-of-Famer

Moses Malone was an imposing force in the paint. The aggressiveness he had in his domain on the hardwood was one of the many reasons why the Center from Petersburg won 2 all-defensive second-team honors and led his 76ers to a Championship in 1983.

LANDOVER, MD - CIRCA 1984: Ralph Sampson #50 of the Houston Rockets grabs a pass in front of Rick Mahorn #44 of the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1984 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Sampson played for the Rockets from 1984-87. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Ralph Sampson: UVA legend and Basketball Hall of Famer

Read full article: Ralph Sampson: UVA legend and Basketball Hall of Famer

Standing at an intimidating 7′4 some could say Ralph Sampson was “larger than life” and in many ways, the shifty and agile Harrisonburg native was exactly that, revolutionizing and dominating the sport in the eighties.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin watches during the first half of the team's Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Mike Tomlin: Super Bowl-winning head coach from Hampton Roads

Read full article: Mike Tomlin: Super Bowl-winning head coach from Hampton Roads

After a two-and-a-half-week process, Mike Tomlin was named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007, becoming the first Black head coach in the franchise’s storied history. Many analysts and outlets were shocked by the hire, calling it “unconventional,” but 18 years later, the Steelers head coach has thrived on being unconventional.

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan D-Richmond celebrates at her election party after winning the seat for Virginia's 4th Congressional District on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Richmond, Va. Virginia voters on Tuesday elected McClellan, a veteran state legislator from Richmond, to fill an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she will make history as the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Rep. Jennifer McClellan: Virginia’s first black congresswoman

Read full article: Rep. Jennifer McClellan: Virginia’s first black congresswoman

In February 2023, history was made in the Commonwealth as elected Democrat Jennifer McCllelan soared to victory in a race to fill a vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress.

UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: Photo of Pearl BAILEY; Posed studio portrait of Pearl Bailey (Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns)

Pearl Bailey: The Multi-talented entertainer and “Ambassador of Love” from Newport News

Read full article: Pearl Bailey: The Multi-talented entertainer and “Ambassador of Love” from Newport News

To call Pearl Bailey just an entertainer would be a disservice. The multi-talented singer, actress and jazz icon broke multiple barriers - becoming a Tony award-winning artist and delegate to the United Nations.

The US boxing team leave New York on the 'SS America' to take part in the 1948 Summer Olympics, the XIVth Olympiad in London, 15th July 1948. From left to right, they are (front row) PFC Ross Virgo, Norvel L R Lee, Horace 'Hank' Herring (welterweight), Grant Butcher and James Mitchell (bantamweight); (back row) PFC Edward 'Eddie' Johnson (featherweight), Frank Daniels, Wallace Smith (lightweight) and Washington Jones (middleweight). (Photo by Bob Stubenrauch/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Norvel Lee: Gold Medalist, Veteran, Civil Rights activist

Read full article: Norvel Lee: Gold Medalist, Veteran, Civil Rights activist

Norvel Lee was first introduced to the public and rose to prominence after he won the light heavyweight gold medal for boxing in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, but the Botetourt native’s accomplishments in life span far beyond the world of boxing.