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Buzz Premiere: Christiansburg Institute
August 3, 2021 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
FREE
At 6:45 pm, we will preview our newest episode of BUZZ, a special two-part show featuring the Christiansburg Institute that airs Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 on Blue Ridge PBS. AAF Roanoke’s Michael Craighead worked with Spectrum Media Solutions to create and donate a new website for Christiansburg Institute as part of the show.
About the episode
For 100 years, the Christiansburg Institute stood as one of the finest schools for Black Americans in Virginia. Founded in 1866 just a year after the Civil War put an end to slavery, Christiansburg Institute became a testament to African-American self-preservation, educating thousands of students on its 185-acre campus.
Education giants such as Booker T. Washington served as superintendent. But in 1966 school integration finally took hold in Virginia … and Christiansburg Institute’s legacy was quite literally whitewashed away. Its academic buildings were shuttered. Its students scattered to previously whites-only schools. Its land subdivided and sold off. Today all that’s left is one abandoned building on four acres.
But there’s a group of passionate people dedicated to preserving its history … and creating a catalyst for community conversations, racial justice and change.