The Stokesland African American Community, located partially in Danville, and partially in Pittsylvania County, is a historic African American Community established after Emancipation by formerly enslaved people. The community today is composed of residents who have lived and owned the same land passed down by their ancestors since the late 19th century; as well as families of all ethnicities who have moved to the area more recently.
The community consists of homes, the Flippen Cemetery, the Stokesland Rosenwald School, and the Prospect Missionary Baptist Church; however, it has been altered over the years by development, and fragmented by industrial buildings, warehouses, chain link fences, and numerous parking lots.
Regardless of the industrial development, the community persists, and its residents have been working to salvage what remains of their community for several years. The residents believe strongly that with careful planning, which includes the preservation of important historic sites and the addition of outdoor recreational outlets, green space and landscaping; the area can regain some of its lost sense of community. Improving the community has the opportunity to enhance the residents’ quality of life and help instill more pride in the community and the region.
Community improvement and historic preservation efforts have been led by the Southside African American Cemetery Preservation Society (SAACPS), which was originally formed in 2014 to preserve the Flippen Cemetery, but has since grown to include the Stokesland African American Community, as well as other historic cemeteries and sites in Pittsylvania County, Caswell County and Danville.
Other organizations which have supported these efforts include the Blanks Club, a local social community club that owns and operates the Stokesland Rosenwald School, Preservation Virginia, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, History United (a Danville-based program of Virginia Humanities), the Pittsylvania County Parks and Recreation Department, and the Danville Historical Society.
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The Stokesland Community in many ways is a classic example of a community that has struggled to survive because of insensitive development due in part to inherent racism. Improving the community could be a catalyst for education-based initiatives to help communicate important social issues such as struggles of black family land ownership; inappropriate city planning and development, environmental injustice, and pollution and health concerns in many historic African American communities.
Another important reason to improve the Stokesland African American Community is to communicate to the public the rich history and culture of African American communities and how they link to broader aspects of history. One example of this is the little-known story of how the Stokesland School played a part in the Civil Rights Era in Danville by providing protestors a place in which to make protest signs. While the school was close to the downtown protests, it was also far enough away for safety concerns.
Interest in Danville’s rich Civil Rights history has grown with the Mapping Local Knowledge Project, the creation of the Virginia Humanities Danville-based History United Program, the opening of the Williams House in the Holbrook-Ross Neighborhood in Danville, and the many other efforts to preserve Danville’s Civil Rights history.
