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2018 SESSION
18104196DWHEREAS, Nellie Jane Hinderman McLeod, a beloved wife and mother and a trailblazing Civil Rights campaigner who was instrumental in the integration of Chesterfield County Public Schools, died on October 29, 2017; and
WHEREAS, born in Beeville, Texas, in 1926, Nellie McLeod moved to Virginia following her marriage to husband William McLeod; the couple later settled in Hopewell and Ettrick, where she worked as a hair stylist; and
WHEREAS, a fearless campaigner for Civil Rights, Nellie McLeod spent much of the 1960s leading voter registration drives and championing equal treatment for African Americans in the justice system; she also spearheaded movements for the release of wrongly incarcerated black prisoners and the rehiring of black workers unfairly let go from their jobs; and
WHEREAS, in 1961, having become fed up with the inferior supplies and facilities at segregated schools in Ettrick, Nellie McLeod attempted to enroll her daughters at the all-white Ettrick Elementary School; when her request was denied, she led a small group of African American parents in filing a lawsuit against the Chesterfield County School Board; and
WHEREAS, ignoring threats and other intimidation, Nellie McLeod persevered with her lawsuit until November 1962, when a court order finally resulted in the integration of public schools in Chesterfield County; and
WHEREAS, during her long career as a community organizer, Nellie McLeod led countless meetings and protests and met with renowned Civil Rights figures such as Wyatt Tee Walker and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Nellie McLeod was also a longtime Democratic Party supporter who represented the state as a delegate at numerous national conventions; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of her courage and leadership, Nellie McLeod received awards from the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and
WHEREAS, outside of her pioneering career as an activist, Nellie McLeod was a talented gardener and cook who regularly volunteered at Central State Hospital in Petersburg; and
WHEREAS, Nellie McLeod will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her husband, William; children, Harold, Priscilla, Charles, Sheila, Yolanda, and Kimberli, and their families; and countless other family members, friends, and supporters; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Nellie Jane Hinderman McLeod, a brave and influential activist who promoted education equality in Chesterfield County; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Nellie Jane Hinderman McLeod as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.