PETERSBURG – The very recognizable downtown post office is one step closer to being named after the first Black man to represent Virginia in Congress.
By voice vote Monday, the House approved a resolution to attach the name of John Mercer Langston to the building at 29 Franklin St. The resolution is sponsored by Del. Jennifer McClellan – the first Black woman to represent the state in the House.
In a floor speech preceding the vote, McClellan lauded Langston as a “staunch abolitionist, civil rights advocate, diplomat, academic leader and trailblazer.” The resolution is McClellan’s first standalone legislation to get through the House of Representatives.
“As the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress, I stand on his shoulders – the first Black man to represent Virginia, also from Virginia’s Fourth,” McClellan said. “I am committed to honoring his incredible contributions and building on his legacy to ensure a more just, equitable society for every American. I thank my colleagues for supporting my legislation, and I urge my Senate colleagues to pass this legislation expeditiously.”
The measure now goes to the Senate where passage is also expected.
Should it gain final approval, the Petersburg post office will be the second such facility to bear the name of a late civil rights leader. Three years ago, McClellan’s predecessor, the late Rep. Donald McEachin, pushed through a resolution to name the Hopewell post office after the Rev. Curtis W. Harris. Harris was the founder of the Virginia Unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a former Hopewell councilor and mayor, and a close confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement.
In addition to Langston’s political and civil-rights resume, he also was the first president of what is now Virginia State University. On campus, the John Mercer Langston Institute for African American Leadership, and an honors dormitory for VSU first-year students are named for him
When he left Congress in 1891, there would not be another Black congressman from the commonwealth until 2016 when McEachin, a former Richmond state senator and delegate, was elected.
McEachin died in 2022, and McClellan – a Petersburg native and state legislator from Richmond – was elected to replace him.
The building on Franklin Street was built in 1935 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" program bringing the U.S. out of the Great Depression.
A second resolution pending
Tuesday, McClellan introduced a second resolution, this one recognizing the threat of extreme weather to children's health and life.
The resolution, signed on by 28 of McClellan's House colleagues, calls for more intense rapid and equally distributed solutions to address young people's vulnerability to extremely hot or cold weather. It recommends measures such as language-accessible public alerts; increased education for healthcare professionals, teachers and childcare givers on keeping kids safe; and expanded access to kid friendly green spaces and cooling centers.
“Climate change exacerbates extreme weather events, causing them to increase in severity and frequency. As a mother to two young children, I will continue fighting to address climate change and ensure a healthy, livable planet for future generations,” McClellan said in a statement. “Babies, children, and adolescents face particular vulnerabilities to adverse health impacts caused by extreme weather. My resolution acknowledges these dangers and resolves to implement tailored solutions to protect the next generation." I thank all of the endorsing organizations for their support, and I look forward to our continued collaboration to protect the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of our children.”
She formally introduced the resolution Tuesday morning at the "Moms Clean Air Force Play-In for Climate Change" event in Washington . The group, made up of more than 1.5 million parents across the nation, advocates for children's health affected by climate conditions.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Icon for an icon: U.S. House passes resolution for name of Petersburg post office
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