Edgar A. Long served as principal for the Christiansburg Institute from 1906 to 1923. The Christiansburg Institute was the first Black secondary school in Southwest Virginia. Although its 100-year history was literally buried in the destruction of the school’s building, dedicated students fought to preserve the legacy.
“There are Negroes doing men’s work and bearing men’s responsibility and they will not be content with less than man’s privileges.”
Edgar A. Long 1914
Alumni unearthed more than 4000 documents and photographs over the course of their preservation efforts. These artifacts fill in historical gaps between the Reconstruction Era and the Civil Rights movement and uncover a history of achievement and excellence.
“Recovering the history of the Christiansburg Institute adds to our understanding of an important period of American history, an era framed by two specific cultural markers, the penning of the Emancipation Proclamation and the daring utterance of ‘I have a dream’.” writes editor Anna Fariello.
Come honor this legacy and celebrate the launch of the second edition of A Vision of Education: Selected Writings of Edgar A. Long at one of the following three events.
Dates
Wednesday, Sept. 29 – 6:00 PM
Christiansburg Library
Wednesday, Oct. 6 – 6:00 PM
Blacksburg Library
Wednesday, Nov. 10 – 6:00 PM
Meadowbrook Library
The second edition of this book was made possible in part by a grant from Virginia Humanities.
