Roanoke Free Press

African-American 12th Annual N&W Heritage Celebration

CLICK HERE: 11th Annual African-American N&W Heritage Celebration

The African-American N&W Heritage Celebration Group meets monthly at the Virginia Museum of Transportation to preserve the stories and celebrate the achievements of African-Americans who worked for the Norfolk & Western Railway. One of the group’s early achievements at the Museum is “African American Heritage on the Norfolk & Western 1930-1970,” an exhibit which features a video of oral histories of railroad workers. William L. Withuhn, Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution, described the exhibit as “the best exhibit on African Americans on our U.S. railroads that I have seen anywhere.”

Call 540.342.5670 by July 6, 2010 to reserve your place. The event is sponsored by the African-American N&W Heritage Celebration Group, Virginia Division/Norfolk Southern Corporation, and the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

As part of the group’s continuing efforts to document the experience of African-Americans on the Norfolk & Western Railway, its members are seeking profiles of any African-American men who worked on the railroad, including laborers, blacksmiths, dining car waiters, material handlers and conductors. The goal is to gather information for a new book, From Cotton to Silk, a compilation of African-Americans’ progress from lower level jobs to higher paying positions. The book also will show how these railroad workers supported their families and educated their children. To submit profiles or for more information, call Al Holland at 540-362-5578; Carl Tinsley at 540-362-2419, or Carroll Swain at 540-389-8788.

11th Annual African-American Heritage Celebration