Bill Text: VA SR140 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the life and legacy of Victor J. Ashe.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-21 - Bill text as passed Senate (SR140ER) [SR140 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-SR140-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Victor J. Ashe was a trailblazing attorney and community leader in Norfolk who played a pivotal role in the desegregation of Norfolk Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, Victor Ashe attended Villanova College in Pennsylvania, then earned a law degree from Howard University in 1940; he opened a legal practice in Norfolk in 1942, then joined many of the other young men of his generation in service to the nation during World War II; and
WHEREAS, after his honorable discharge from the United States Navy, Victor Ashe was driven to be of further service to his community and became the first African American to run for Norfolk City Council in the 20th century; and
WHEREAS, despite his unsuccessful campaign for office, Victor Ashe served the community in other ways, becoming a founding member of the Twin City Bar Association and helping the first African American attorneys gain admittance to the Norfolk Bar Association and the Portsmouth Bar Association; and
WHEREAS, among his most notable accomplishments, Victor Ashe served as an attorney for the NAACP and helped represent members of the Norfolk 17, the first African American students to integrate Norfolk Public Schools, for several years; and
WHEREAS, Victor Ashe ultimately served as chair of the Board of Welfare and Institutions and was the first African American on the board of directors of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce; and
WHEREAS, Victor Ashe passed away in 1974, having dedicated a lifetime of service to the people of Norfolk and the Commonwealth; his legacy lives on in the countless other African Americans in the Norfolk community who were inspired to pursue civic leadership roles and run for public office; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the life and legacy of Victor J. Ashe hereby be commemorated on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of his death; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Victor J. Ashe as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his achievements in the Civil Rights Movement and respect for his memory.
