Shelby Marie Edwards, daughter of beloved Charlottesville activist and former vice mayor Holly Edwards, is PHAR’s new executive director.
PC: Zack Wajsgras
For Shelby Marie Edwards, serving her community comes naturally. Edwards grew up watching her mother, Holly Edwards, advocate for low-income residents as a parish nurse for the Jefferson Area Board for Aging and as program coordinator for the Public Housing Association of Residents. Now the younger Edwards is following in those footsteps as PHAR’s new executive director.
“Especially over the past few months, with all that’s going on in the social justice arena, I felt compelled to shift my work to focus more to what was speaking to me,” says Edwards. At PHAR, “I can continue the work of my mom, but in a way that’s true to me.”
Holly Edwards was an institution in Charlottesville, serving as vice mayor and a city councilor. She helped to spark the city’s Dialogue on Race, which led to the Office of Human Rights, while remaining involved in a string of other community organizations, from the NAACP to PACEM.
Following her mother’s passing in 2017, Shelby Edwards felt drawn back to Charlottesville, where she was born and raised. She’d been teaching theater and writing in Chicago, and when she returned, she began offering performance art classes through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia, while embarking on new projects, like writing and performing the one-person storytelling show, Holly’s Ivy.
“I certainly will not be the person inside of the Westhaven clinic where she used to work, taking temperatures,” Edwards says. “But what I can be is someone who continues to amplify the voices of residents, be a listening ear, and make sure we are looking at what makes the most sense in the short and long-term for all of the folks who live in public housing sites.”
While this is Edwards’ first time working in the public housing sector, she plans to draw heavily on her years of teaching performance art and fundraising for theater nonprofits in Chicago. She will also tap into her degrees in business and theater from Virginia Commonwealth University, which she received in 2017, as well as the masters in humanities she earned last year from the University of Chicago.
In addition, Edwards will continue to lean on her many community mentors for support and advice, including PHAR board president Joy Johnson, who will be helping with the transition.
“[Johnson] is a powerful force in the community, and I am humbled and honored to be stepping into this role, especially so under her guidance,” says Edwards. “I look forward to learning so much in this position. I wouldn’t have taken [it] if I didn’t already know the community had my back.”
Once her term begins, Edwards will oversee all of PHAR’s programs, including emergency food distribution. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the nonprofit has focused on providing food assistance to the city’s most vulnerable residents. Staff and volunteers currently bring groceries to 40 people each month. Almost all the recipients have COVID-19 risk factors, like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma.
Though the program is unfortunately at capacity and has a waitlist, PHAR has also given out $50 gift cards to every public housing resident twice during the pandemic, and plans to do that two more times before the end of February, when program funding is expected to run out.
In the new year, PHAR will also welcome its new class of interns. The nonprofit’s six-month paid internship program, open to all public housing residents, teaches participants about the city’s public housing policies and organizations, and how to get involved in community organizing and advocacy. “They’re ultimately becoming involved in the decisions that affect their lives,” Edwards says.
However, running the program during a pandemic has its challenges, says Edwards. Because PHAR has not been able to do face-to-face outreach, it has only received eight applications so far, slightly less than in previous years.
“Most public housing residents do not have laptops or iPads, and they often have challenges with limited minutes on their phones,” she says. “We got a grant from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, which allowed us to purchase devices, but there will be a lot of learning for most of the interns to feel comfortable using them.”
As the city pushes forward with the long-awaited redevelopment of the public housing complexes Crescent Halls, South First Street, and Friendship Court, Edwards believes it is necessary for low-income residents to be involved in housing decisions. Affordable housing remains a crucial issue in Charlottesville, and adequate solutions cannot be created without residents’ voices, she says.
Looking forward, Edwards’ biggest goal for PHAR is to expand its outreach and membership, while building up existing community partnerships and forging new ones.
“I welcome any and everybody who supports PHAR’s mission, and wants to make sure that our housing sites are safe and equitable…and that our residents are heard all of the time,” she says.
Shelby Marie Edwards performs her solo storytelling piece, Holly’s Ivy, directed by Chicago-based actor, writer, and teaching artist Earliana McLaurin, at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center on Thursday. Photo by Joel Moorman
Shelby Marie Edwards still switches between “is” and “was” when talking about her mother.
After all, it’s not yet two years since Holly Edwards passed away in early January 2017. And in many ways, she remains present, not just in her daughter’s heart and mind, but in Charlottesville.
Shelby, a theater artist and performance artist now based in Chicago, will perform her original one-person storytelling show, Holly’s Ivy, on Thursday night at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center to help both herself and the community work through the lingering grief.
Holly was a nurse known for her compassion and care, for her advocacy on behalf of low-income citizens and residents of public housing, for the work she accomplished on the city’s Dialogue on Race steering committee and on the board of the JSAAHC, for her service as vice mayor…the list goes on.
“Mom did a lot for the community, and thecommunity did a lot for her, too,” says Shelby.
Holly’s Ivy carries Holly’s name, but it is a show about Shelby, focused on formative moments and rites of passage the 23-year-old has experienced. She tells stories, she moves, she dances, she sings. She explores how her family has shaped who she is.
“Grief is one of those things that everybody goes through,” says Shelby. “Everybody loses something or someone at some point. And yet, we’re expected to deal with it so privately. And that’s something that, ever since mom passed away, has been baffling [to me]. Grieving never ends,” she says.
Shelby began writing the show in December 2016 during a solo performance class when she was an undergraduate in Virginia Commonwealth University’s theater program. The following month, Holly died and the show “kind of sat in the corner” as Shelby grieved the loss of her mother and finished college. She spent the summer in Charlottesville, and during that time, she needed “some type of outlet,” so she finished writing Holly’s Ivy.
“The first half of the show is really like a fossilized version of who I was, and the second half is my journey afterwards,” she says. She used the “ritual poetic drama” methodology to write the show, an approach to storytelling theater that focuses on a journey toward transformational change both for performer and audience.
Holly’s Ivy runs about 45 minutes long, and while it’s often difficult to perform, Shelby feels it’s necessary. “There’sa moment in the show, towards the end, where I just feel it, every single time,” she says. “Words, performance—they give me power and help me feel like I can talk about it, and therefore heal. I really do believe [in] the power of the tongue.”
Shelby says she’s nervous to perform the show in Charlottesville, perhaps because her ties to her audience—and her audience’s ties to her—are tight.
“Everyone knows the backstory. Everyone knows how important she is, or was,” says Shelby. “I think a lot of people [in Charlottesville] haven’t actually grieved mom.”
This will be Shelby’s first time performing Holly’s Ivy in Charlottesville, and it will likely be the last. “I think it’s amazing that we want to honor her as much as we do, but I think it’s also important that we start the moving-on process. She wouldn’t want us stuck in this forever,” she says. She’s ready for the next step in her journey. “I hate ultimatums, but I think this will be the last time I do this show” anywhere, she says. “This time, it’sfor Charlottesville, it’sfor me. It’s for catharsis. It’s for healing.”
Joyce Ivory, president of the Charlottesville chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Photo by Eze Amos
Before Joyce Ivory was president of the Charlottesville chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, she was a girl growing up in the Fifth and Dice (Fifeville) neighborhood. A Charlottesville High School track team member, cellist and a singer in the choir, Ivory looked up to a group of young women a few years older than she. Denise Johnson, current program director of City of Promise, who grew up in Charlottesville’s Westhaven neighborhood and graduated from CHS in 1998, was among that group.
Ivory, who graduated from CHS in 2002, says that Johnson and her cohort “showed us what excellence was” in a number of ways—on the track, in the classroom and in church pews—and, especially, by talking to everyone they met.
Denise Johnson, program director of City of Promise. Courtesy subject
After leaving for college and spending a few years living and working in bigger cities (Ivory in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., Johnson in Richmond), both women have returned home to lead local organizations. As part of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Paradigm Shifters series, they sat down to discuss leadership—which both women view as an act of service—in the Charlottesville community.
C-VILLE: What makes an effective leader?
Joyce Ivory: They’re forward-thinking, approachable, transformative. Leaders have to be able to pull themselves back for a second and ask, “Is this about me, or is this about our mission? Is it even bigger than that? What am I doing this for?” Transformative is a big one, though—I want to help people realize their passion and potential in life, help them find the resources to help them stand on their own two feet.
Denise Johnson: You have to be willing to build other leaders, to say, “I see these great things in you, this is where you can lead.” And when someone says to you, “I am strong here,” allow them to lead in that way. You can’t be a one-person show.
How has being from Charlottesville shaped you as a person, as a leader?
JI: Knowing Holly Edwards. She always asked, “What do you need? What can I do?” She was always among the people, so down-to-earth. She was authentic, transparent, willing to come down and level with anybody. Level up, level down, level linearly—she was one of the first people that I saw out there in the community, not looking for recognition, not looking for the notoriety or the power. She had a heart to help, to serve the community and its people.
DJ: The Edwards family impacted both of our lives. I remember seeing the Rev. Dr. Alvin Edwards have conversations with people that I thought, as a little black girl growing up in the projects, I would never be able to have those types of conversations. Seeing him stand toe to toe with certain people gave me the permission to believe that I could do it too. Additionally, the community, especially in Westhaven, allowed me to see what a real work ethic looked like. My parents and others worked hard for everything that they had; they worked many, many hours, but their paychecks didn’t reflect it. That’s where resilience comes into play. Growing up, I learned financial tips; I learned what it was like to struggle and not to be afraid of struggle, because even in the midst of struggle I was always taken care of, and I knew I could work myself through it because of the work ethic that I witnessed. I was able to see both great worlds—I saw what the world was in my own home, but I could also see what the world could be, through the exposure that I gained latching on to the Edwards family.
What are the issues you aim to address through leadership in your organization?
DJ: Westhaven is the oldest and largest [public] housing development in Charlottesville; that means that most of its residents live at or near the poverty level, under-resourced from a financial perspective. And a lack of finances often means a lack of exposure to other things, to different lifestyles that are available. City of Promise’s education-based mission was built to begin to plant seeds to say [to the kids in the Westhaven, 10th and Page and Starr Hill neighborhoods], “You are just as valuable as any other person in this community. You may not have the same resources, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be just as successful. And we will stand in the gap between, so that when you choose to be successful, we’ll be here to show you what you need.” We work to remove every obstacle that could stand in their way.
However, some people assume that, just because someone grows up poor that they are in some way lazy, or lacking in love, and it’s part of my quest to make sure that people know that being impoverished does not mean lacking in love or community or family. These are some of the strongest people I’ve ever met, and a lot of what I’ve learned, even with all the academic degrees that I have, the foundation started in Westhaven.
JI: Our group came together because a lot of black women, on all socioeconomic levels, feel invisible in our community—women who are floating that poverty line all the way up to women who have doctorates—we all felt somewhat alone, that there wasn’t a lot of community. And so we have this coalition of women going out to support one another as a community of black women. We’re looking to attack different issues from a political standpoint—talking with delegates; looking at issues such as suspension rates in schools; disparities between children of color being incarcerated, having to go to adult facilities and thus lacking an opportunity for education. We work with the Boys & Girls Clubs, the PB&J Fund…we have a mammogram mobile. …I advocate for mental health and self-care, too, because as much as it’s awesome for our ladies to be out there with superhero capes on, we need to empower ourselves and feed one another. We are trying to be that village in this community for black women.
What is the work that is left to be done?
DJ: With City of Promise, we’re in charge of educating two different groups [the neighborhoods themselves, plus other, more affluent people in the city]. Part of coming into this position was to challenge people and empower people on both sides of the field. Let’s really address whatever stereotypes we are bringing to this table and have an honest racial conversation, especially at a time such as now. We’re always thankful for people who want to help, but we are trying to get away from the savior mentality. We want to make sure that people are helping from an authentic space, so while we appreciate all that the community is doing for us, when you are trying to help people from a savior mentality, you’re treating people like they have a deficit or that they are lower than, or beneath them. We’re challenging that perspective.
JI: As many programs as we have to empower people, we’re also here to educate the community about these things and how people need to continuously educate themselves. Systemically, as a society, we need to stop acting like we are more progressed than we are; we need to lean into the discomfort and be honest [with each other and ourselves]. We have to stop saying “I’m colorblind” and “I don’t see race.” Let’s have a dialogue, let’s talk about it, put it on the table. …I think in light of things that happened in August, people [are realizing they] are not as progressive as they think they are; they’re living in this little rosy bubble, and it got popped. Sometimes it takes a tragedy for people to really see that we haven’t come as far as we thought we have. But I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
DJ: I think there is a group that is willing to come to the table and say, “Let’s have these conversations, let’s do what we have to do.” You can’t help how you grew up; you can’t help the things that you were fed growing up, or the assumptions that you made on either side. But you can decide what you will do from that point on. [And you can decide] to fight the systemic issues that we know exist in Charlottesville. In Charlottesville like in a few other places, certain people assume that being black equates to being poor, and being poor equates to being black. And if you [as a person of color] are articulate, if you are a different from the stereotype, then you are perceived to be an exception to the rule, and that’s not okay. We need to address the issues of affordable housing; intergenerational poverty; systemic oppression…everything that has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, way before any of us. We need to continue to break those systems down. That’s very important work that will always continue to be done.
Charlottesville’s complicated, uncomfortable history plays a role in these challenges surely. What’s the importance of educating people—particularly young folks—on this history?
DJ: There are certain stories that need to be told and re-told, so that we know our history. Not just Charlottesville history, but all history, all black history, all local history and how it impacts us. When you have that knowledge, you conduct yourself in a different way. With knowledge definitely comes power, internal power, self-love power. And power to want to better yourself and the community and your family.
What are some of the things the Charlottesville community is doing well?
DJ: There is a love and care in Charlottesville that sometimes gets swept under the rug, but it truly exists. Especially now, we’re just not in a good, positive space overall, but, in my account with the partners that have come to City of Promise to say, “What can I do?,” or, “I believe in your mission, I believe in your work. What can I give?” That willingness to do whatever it takes to make right the wrongs that have happened.
JI: People are a little more cognizant than they have been in the past. They recognize that some things have been idle and that there is work to be done in trying to figure these things out. People are stepping up, understanding that there’s no one here to save us; we have to do it for ourselves….wanting to address the affordable housing issue, wanting to go out and figure out what we can do, asking, How can we pump the breaks on this and figure something out to bring resources to our community, and retain our residents?
DJ: And retain the diversity that comes along with it.
JI: It’s still a warm community, despite some ugliness.
What could the community improve on?
DJ: A continued dialogue, a continued investment. Don’t let the situation in August fizzle out. Because, for a lot of people that were on the negative side of racial oppression, it wasn’t something that just surfaced in August. And so, we need to continue the dialogue, continue the fight, to make sure that injustices are made right.
JI: Absolutely. It’s important for stuff like that to not continue to repeat itself, that we not continue to keep coming back to this point, but we grow moving forward and kind of understanding and learning from that experience. I think that’s something that…it has some opportunity. We’ll say it that way. [laughs] There’s opportunity there.
Both of your organizations have a mission focused on young people and the community around them. Why is that?
JI: You’ve got to look at the whole person—the young person, their parents, their household. We have to dive into the mindset of everyone involved, so that [young] person can continue to cultivate on what you’re putting into the community, at home.
DJ: You have to plant those seeds; [young] minds are very fertile ground. Because they will be the group that’s charged with breaking certain barriers for all of us, we have to build them up in such a way that they are able to sustain that and fight that fight. Growing up, there were certain seeds that were planted in me that didn’t blossom until much later. But they were planted, they were in and they were ready [when the time came]. We have to make sure that these young people are always a garden.
This Q&A was conducted by C-VILLE as part of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s ParadigmShifters series, which takes a look at how different people are making an impact locally.
Nikuyah Walker admits she doesn’t follow the rules very well.
Staff photo
In her run to sit on the other side of the City Council dais she’s often stood before, Nikuyah Walker won’t be touting Charlottesville as a world-class city. Instead, her theme of “unmasking the reality” acknowledges the duality of a town that draws the wealthy and well-educated, yet is unaffordable for many of its citizens, some of whom are on a “birth-to-prison pipeline.”
At her March 14 announcement at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, Walker said she’d been urged to run for City Council by the late and revered former vice-mayor Holly Edwards.
Walker, a social justice activist who works for Charlottesville Parks & Rec, is running as an independent, a tough route in the Dem-heavy city. “For me, being an independent sets a clear tone to the establishment of Charlottesville that we need to change things,” she said.
She called for transparency, accountability in how city funds are spent, affordable housing and changes in the resource-rich community where, for many African-Americans, “You are on the way to the prison system the day you are born,” she said. “That’s not the story we want to hear.”
Walker said she would not shy away from talking about race, and that her family had likely been in Charlottesville during the Civil War, when blacks were the majority. Now African-Americans make up 19 percent of the population. ”Where have they gone?” she asked.
She invoked Edwards again when she vowed to promote the mental and physical health of those who experienced “negative health outcomes due to poverty.”
Former mayor Dave Norris, who is a founder of Equity and Progress in Charlottesville, said Walker is a good candidate because “she’s a seasoned advocate. She knows how local government works.” He also pointed out that Walker, unlike the current councilors, is a native “with roots in the community that run deep.”
Two seats are open on City Council in November, and Councilor Kristin Szakos said she will not run again. Councilor Bob Fenwick has been collecting signatures, but has not announced his plans. If he runs, he’ll face two Democratic candidates—Heather Danforth Hill and Amy Laufer—in the June 13 primary.
Correction 9:09am to add Heather Hill’s full name.
Schenk's Greenway, April 2015. Courtesy of the city
Greenway to nowhere
Perhaps you’ve noticed the small gravel trail that runs alongside McIntire Road, past the old Lane High School that now serves as the Albemarle County Office Building and the baseball field and then, seemingly, stops in its tracks at Harris Street. In 2006, the city began a project to build the multi-use trail, Schenk’s Greenway, as a connector between the office building and McIntire Park.
But the greenway has been closed and under construction since July 2015 for the first phase of a $1.5 million Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority project called the Upper Schenk’s Branch Interceptor Replacement, an upgrade to increase wastewater infrastructure capacity along that sewer line, according to RWSA spokesperson Teri Kent. It’s currently about 85 percent complete and scheduled for a substantial push in March with landscaping and site restoration finished this spring.
The trail will be paved to accommodate the expected increased use, says city trail planner Chris Gensic. The long-term trail plan is to connect the Downtown Mall and Preston Avenue to McIntire Park—Schenk’s Greenway will be the middle section of that trail.
Here’s what it looks like now. Staff photo
So much presidential activity
Photo: Ashley Twiggs
On the same day Barack Obama handed over the keys to the White House to Donald Trump, UVA President Teresa Sullivan announced she would be leaving when her contract expires in summer 2018, and the university will begin a search for a new prez.
Blogger arrested
Photo: Eze Amos
Jason Kessler, the man who dug up Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy’s offensive tweets and who is collecting signatures to remove him from office, was arrested January 22 on the Downtown Mall for allegedly punching a man in the face, according to Tomas Harmon at the Newsplex. Kessler contends the punching was self-defense.
EPIC goals
Dave Norris, Jeff Fogel and Dede Smith. Staff photo
A new city political organization—Equity and Progress in Charlottesville—debuted January 17, and features former elected officials such as Dave Norris and Dede Smith. It hopes to tap into the Bernie Sanders’ progressivism and elect candidates to tackle income inequity and affordable housing.
New Dominion Bookshop’s loss
Photo: Amanda Maglione
Long-time owner Carol Troxell, 68, died unexpectedly January 18, the Daily Progress reports. Troxell bought the Downtown Mall store in the mid-’80s, and made it a popular haven for author readings and Virginia Festival of the Book events.
State parks high
Governor Terry McAuliffe says attendance in 2016 was a record, with 10,022,698 visitors, which topped 2015 by 12 percent.
Richmond rundown
The General Assembly has been in session two weeks, and here’s a snapshot of what’s happening.
Redistricting: Delegate Steve Landes, one of Albemarle’s four delegates (thank you gerrymandering), carried a constitutional amendment to take the politics out of electoral line drawing.
Misdemeanor DNA: Albemarle Sheriff Chip Harding and Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Tracci called for a study to expand DNA collection for misdemeanors like trespassing, petit larceny and assault in a bill carried by Delegate David Toscano and co-patroned by Landes.
Removal of elected officials: Already difficult in Virginia and requiring a petition signed by 10 percent of voters in the last election, this bill requires 20 percent of the voters’ signatures and a special election.
Bathroom bill: Delegate Bob Marshall’s bill, modeled after North Carolina’s, died quietly in a Republican-controlled subcommittee January 19.
Quote of the Week:
“Charlottesville is a ‘beautiful ugly city.’” —The Reverend Brenda Brown-Grooms’ description used at former vice-mayor Holly Edwards’ January 12 funeral was echoed—twice—at City Council January 17.
Correction: Equity and Progress in Charlottesville was misidentified in the original version.
Owner John Dewberry plans to turn the Landmark into a 5-star hotel.
Photo Matteus Frankovich/Skyclad AP
Unlike NC…
Governor Terry McAuliffe signs an executive order at UVA January 5 that prohibits state contractors from discriminating against gay and transgender people, and notes that the Tar Heel State has lost hundreds of millions of dollars because of its bathroom bill. Delegate Bob Marshall immediately filed a bill prohibiting such nondiscrimination.
Lieutenant guv race gets icky
Bryce Reeves Publicity photo
An anonymous e-mail claiming state Senator Bryce Reeves is having an affair with a campaign aide, which he denies, is tied to the cell phone and IP address of opponent and fellow senator Jill Vogel’s husband, the Washington Post reports. The Vogels, both ethics lawyers, deny sending the hurtful missive and claim they were hacked.
Diantha McKeel. Publicity photo
New BOS chair/vice-chair
The Albemarle Board of Supervisors elected Diantha McKeel chair and Norman Dill vice chair as its first order of business January 4.
Mourning community activist
Holly Edwards was known for bringing different voices in the community together. Photo Kelly Kollar
Charlottesville’s former vice mayor and beloved advocate Holly Edwards died January 7 at age 56. Read more at c-ville.com.
Local layoffs
Relay Foods’ January 2 notice that it was changing its name to Door to Door Organics did not mention that 48 workers in Charlottesville would lose their jobs, as would an undetermined number in Richmond, according to the Daily Progress. Service to Lynchburg and North Carolina ends January 15.
Richard V. Curnish. Charlottesville police
Alleged wanker arrested
Police respond to a report of a man masturbating outside the 1800 block of JPA at 12:55am January 4 and charge Richard V. Curnish, 55, with indecent exposure, masturbation in public and peeping. Charlottesville police say Curnish is a suspect in a December 30 peeping reported at the same location.
Snow casualty
Ryan S. Spencer, 40, of Rochelle, was on Preddy Creek Road January 7 when he lost control of his 2010 Cadillac SRX on a sharp curve and struck a parked vehicle belonging to a driver who stopped to assist with an earlier accident in the same spot. Spencer ran off the road and overturned into the creek. He died at UVA Medical Center.
Dewberry dreaming
The city hopes to make a deal with developer John Dewberry in the next few weeks, which means site plans for developing the Landmark Hotel skeleton could be available by spring. Matteus Frankovich/Skyclad AP
“The devil’s in the details and we’re working to get those details right,” says Mayor Mike Signer about plans for the Downtown Mall hotel that could soon transform the Landmark Hotel skeleton, an unfinished structure since its former developer, Halsey Minor, halted construction eight years ago.
Purchased by Atlanta-based John Dewberry in June 2012, the new owner promised to turn his focus to Charlottesville after he finished converting a former office building into his first hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, which didn’t happen until last summer. Signer says the city hopes to make an agreement with Dewberry in the next few weeks, leading to site plans that should be available by spring.
The hotel could bring 150 jobs with it, according to Signer, and would be a wedding and conference venue in the heart of the Downtown Mall. Hotel plans could also include spaces for additional businesses including a restaurant, a spa and retail.
Without a firm timeline, he confirms he’s working with the city to bring the same five-star experience to Charlottesville. “That’s the hardest type of real estate in the world,” he says.
It’s possible that a new Downtown Mall hotel will include a restaurant similar to Henrietta’s, located in The Dewberry Charleston. Photo Jonathan Boncek
Quote of the week
“Do not waste my time. I will veto it so stop in your tracks right now.” —Governor Terry McAuliffe reiterates his pledge at UVA January 5 to veto “socially divisive” legislation such as a ban on abortions at 20 weeks and bathroom bills like North Carolina’s HB2.
Holly Edwards was known for bringing different voices in the community together.
Photo Kelly Kollar
Even before she received a Drewary Brown Memorial Community Bridge Builders award in October, Holly Edwards was known for her care and compassion, and for bringing people who normally didn’t have voices to the table. The former vice mayor and parish nurse for Jefferson Area Board for Aging died January 7 at age 56.
Edwards was elected to City Council in 2007 and served one term.
“She brought a clear and unwavering commitment to the low-income community, to the minority community and to the public housing community,” says former mayor David Brown. “And she did it in a way that wasn’t divisive.”
She had a degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education and was working at a homeless shelter in Washington in the 1980s when she decided to change careers and become a nurse. She worked as a parish nurse at Westhaven and Crescent Halls, and served as a program coordinator for the Public Housing Association of Residents.
Edwards had “an enormous amount of influence while on City Council,” says Brown. “She got the city to embark on the Dialogue on Race,” which led to the city’s Office of Human Rights.
“She really helped create an environment where people who were unaccustomed to being part of community discussions felt comfortable about participating,” says Brown.
Charlene Green, director of the human rights office, remembers Edwards primarily as a friend. “She’s very thoughtful, purposeful and community minded,” she says. “She was able to bring lots of different groups together because of her concern.”
Edwards worked on helping felons when they got out of jail, was concerned about Charlottesville’s high infant mortality rate and was a lifetime member of the NAACP, serving as second vice president to the local branch, says Green.
Edwards also brought together former mayors and vice mayors. “She thought, ‘Why not use that brain trust for the betterment of our citizens,” says Green.
Former mayor Dave Norris, reached by e-mail in Ghana, calls Edwards “a dear friend, a political compatriot and an inspiring mentor—to myself and many, many others. She spent her life advocating tirelessly for low-income residents, and even as her body grew weak in recent years, her spirit remained strong till the end.”
Norris recalls his last two interactions with Edwards: her planning a meal for homeless women at PACEM, and helping to create a new political caucus aimed at electing local candidates who are committed to equity and justice.
“This was very typical of Holly—minister to the immediate needs of those who are suffering, while insistently working to change the underlying policies and systems that either create or perpetuate suffering,” he says.
City Manager Maurice Jones also points out Edwards’ “deep commitment to helping people from all walks of life,” particularly the disenfranchised.
Says Jones, “I always looked forward to the way Holly would develop a poem at the end of our Town Hall meetings when she would summarize the issues raised. And I also enjoyed just laughing together about life. She had a delightful sense of humor. Ever since I learned of her passing, I keep thinking about her infectious smile. It really gave you an insight into the beauty of her soul.”
Norris notes that Edwards was a long-time vegetarian, but she wasn’t in-your-face about it. “Whenever anyone would ask her why she didn’t eat meat, she would simply smile that Holly smile and say, ‘I just can’t eat anything with a face.’”
Says Norris, ”Charlottesville will never see another like Holly Edwards, and we are all the worse for it.”
Edwards’ funeral will be held 11am Thursday, January 12, at Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church.
