The University Uprooted a Black Neighborhood. Then Its Policies Reduced the Black Presence on Campus.
Black enrollment at Virginia’s Christopher Newport University fell by more than half under longtime president Paul Trible, a former Republican senator who wanted to “offer a private school experience.” By 2021, only 2.4% of full-time professors were Black.
Local Reporting Network
“Uprooted”: What a Black Community Lost When a Virginia University Grew
This short documentary reveals a Black community’s decadeslong battle to hold onto its land as officials in Newport News, Virginia, used eminent domain to establish and expand Christopher Newport University.
Local Reporting Network
“Uprooted” Explores How University Expansion and Eminent Domain Led to Black Land Loss
Watch this examination of a Black community’s decadeslong battle to hold onto their land as city officials wielded eminent domain.
Local Reporting Network
Virginia Lawmaker Calls for Commission to Study State Universities’ History of Uprooting Black Communities
In response to our reporting, state Delegate Delores McQuinn said a task force could shed light on the impact of college expansion in Virginia. Officials are also calling for displaced families to receive redress, from scholarships to reparations.
Local Reporting Network
Virginia’s Public Universities Have a Long History of Displacing Black Residents
Schools including Old Dominion and the flagship University of Virginia have expanded by dislodging Black families, sometimes by the threat or use of eminent domain.
Local Reporting Network
A Black Neighborhood and a College Both Wanted to Expand. Now One of Them Is Gone.
Sixty-plus years ago, the white leaders of Newport News, Virginia, seized the core of a thriving Black community to build a college. The school has been gobbling up the remaining houses ever since.
Local Reporting Network