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2023 SESSION
WHEREAS, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland of Arlington played an iconic role in the civil rights movement as a prominent white member of numerous sit-ins, protests, and other historic events, enduring great personal hardship to stand up for equality and social justice; and
WHEREAS, a lifelong resident of Arlington, Joan Mulholland graduated from Annandale High School and attended Duke University, where she joined other students in demonstrations for civil rights; in the early 1960s, she joined the Nonviolent Action Group, an affiliate of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at Howard University in Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, a passionate supporter of equality for all individuals as a matter of both faith and principle, Joan Mulholland participated in sit-ins in Virginia, Maryland, and South Carolina and faced ostracism from her community for her actions; and
WHEREAS, in 1961, Joan Mulholland joined a group of Freedom Riders from Washington, D.C., who flew to New Orleans, Louisiana, and then rode a train to Jackson, Mississippi; she was arrested and sent to Parchman Farm Penitentiary, where she served a two-month sentence; and
WHEREAS, after being released from prison, Joan Mulholland became the first white student to enroll at Tougaloo College, a historically Black institution in Mississippi, in an effort to promote racial integration in higher education; and
WHEREAS, in May 1963, Joan Mulholland was a participant in the Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in in Jackson, Mississippi and helped organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom later that year; she subsequently worked on the early stages of Freedom Summer, a campaign in 1964 to encourage African Americans to register to vote, and was a member of the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 and the March Against Fear in 1966; and
WHEREAS, Joan Mulholland ultimately participated in more than 50 demonstrations and sit-ins, drawing the ire of the Ku Klux Klan, which marked her for assassination; and
WHEREAS, Joan Mulholland later returned to Arlington to raise her five children; she worked in the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Justice, before pursuing a fulfilling 30-year career as an elementary school teacher’s assistant; and
WHEREAS, Joan Mulholland’s story has been immortalized in award-winning documentaries, such as An Ordinary Hero, directed by her son, Loki, and in books by noted historians, such as Breach of Peace and We Shall Not Be Moved; she has appeared on national television programs and in magazines and newspapers and is a frequent speaker at local universities, charitable events, and meetings; and
WHEREAS, among awards and accolades for her work, Joan Mulholland has earned the Award of Honor from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Heroes Against Hate Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award, the International Civil Rights Museum Trailblazer Award, and the Simeon Booker Award for Courage; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Joan Trumpauer Mulholland for her inimitable role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s and her ongoing commitment to educating others about equality and advocating for social justice; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Joan Trumpauer Mulholland as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for her achievements during the civil rights movement and her contributions to the Commonwealth.