[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 147 (Friday, September 13, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER HIGH SCHOOL

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                        HON. A. DONALD McEACHIN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 13, 2019

  Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record a 
commemoration of George Washington Carver High School and the George 
Washington Carver Alumni and Friends Association. It is with great 
pleasure that I commend George Washington Carver High School for 
receiving a historical highway marker designation from the Virginia 
Department of Historic Resources.
  George Washington Carver High School was founded in 1948 after 
African-Americans in Chesterfield County advocated for a new high 
school to address the lack of appropriate educational opportunities and 
services for African-American students. Over the next 22 years, George 
Washington Carver High School was the county's only public high school 
for African-American students. Mr. William Albert ``W.A.'' Brown, the 
sole principal of the school, along with his faculty and staff, 
propelled George Washington Carver High School to become a center of 
intellectual and cultural excellence within the community.
  George Washington Carver High School closed its doors in 1970 due to 
desegregation across the country. To honor its legacy of breaking 
barriers and providing exceptional educational opportunities, the 
George Washington Carver Alumni and Friends Association formed in 2014. 
For the past five years, the organization has provided services for the 
community, such as mentoring, volunteering, and supporting students 
with scholarships and other resources. Due to the efforts of the George 
Washington Carver Alumni and Friends Association, the former school 
site was recognized with a historical highway marker by the Virginia 
Department of Historic Resources. The Association's outreach efforts 
and tireless advocacy prove that the work ethic instilled in the 22 
classes of George Washington Carver High School endures today.
  The Virginia Department of Historic Resources approved George 
Washington Carver Alumni and Friends Association's request to designate 
the former high school as a historic site on April 17, 2019. The 
official recognition ceremony was on June 21, 2019, with a 
representative from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and 
the unveiling of a large mounted poster at the George Washington Carver 
Alumni and Friends Association Biennial Scholarship Benefit Gala will 
be held on September 21, 2019.
  Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the George 
Washington Carver High School and the legacy it has left behind for the 
entire country

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