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2018 SESSION

18104968D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 394
Offered February 27, 2018
Celebrating the life of Annie Belle Daniels.
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Patrons-- Price, Mullin and Ward
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WHEREAS, Annie Belle Daniels, a champion for voting rights who left an indelible mark on the Newport News community both as a businesswoman and an activist, died on April 27, 2017, at the age of 100; and

WHEREAS, a native of Alabama, Annie Daniels attended cosmetology school in Virginia, then opened her own salon and later founded the Madam Daniels School of Beauty Culture; she inspired countless young women as they pursued their own careers and was affectionately known to many as “Madam Daniels”; and

WHEREAS, Annie Daniels supported the community through fashion shows and other fundraisers to benefit the local Boys and Girls Clubs and Newport News General Hospital, and her delicious meals and coveted holiday fruitcakes were well-known throughout the area; and

WHEREAS, from a young age, Annie Daniels was passionate about democracy and was deeply involved in civic life; at a time when poll taxes were still legal, she sold cups of soup in her shop and donated the proceeds to community members who couldn’t afford the tax but still wished to vote; and

WHEREAS, Annie Daniels was an active member and recruiter for the NAACP, and she volunteered at polling places in the Magruder Precinct well into her 80s; her wise counsel was sought after by local and state government officials, as well as other community leaders; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of her legacy of contributions to Civil Rights and social justice in Newport News, Annie Daniels received many awards and accolades throughout her life, including a historical marker near her cosmetology school; she was also honored as one of the African American Trailblazers in Virginia History by the Library of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Annie Daniels will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her son, Gerald, and his family and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Annie Belle Daniels, a highly respected Civil Rights activist and community leader in Newport News; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Annie Belle Daniels as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.