'A place of hope': Library honors legacy of Tuscaloosa's first Black surgeon, educator

The Weaver-Bolden branch of the Tuscaloosa Public Library on Friday celebrated the arrival of two relatives with special ties to Tuscaloosa.

The library held a ceremony to welcome George Haywood and John Wilfred Haywood lll to Tuscaloosa. The city holds great significance for the Haywoods, who are the grandsons of George A. Weaver, one of the library's namesakes.

The Washington, D.C., natives received a warm welcome from library officials, city leaders and community members. The ceremony also highlighted Ruth Bolden, the library's other namesake.

"This is definitely an honor, I think it's evident in the legacy that their grandfather, Dr. Weaver left and how he impacted the Tuscaloosa community," said Jennifer Pearson, TPL's executive director.

"Libraries in general create a sense of community and I feel very strongly that this library has, in fact, done that, and it is an honor to be here with this family," Pearson said.

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During the ceremony, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox acknowledged the Weaver-Bolden Library's impact in the community.

"It's a place of literacy, but more importantly, it's a place of hope," said Maddox during Friday's ceremony.

Weaver is credited for being Tuscaloosa's first Black surgeon and a respected educator. He was a physician at the Stillman Hospital and made his personal library available for local Black students before the establishment of a public library that served them.

In 1948, Bolden helped establish a library in a local community center. In 1961, she secured funding for a new building. Bolden was the first librarian of that library and requested that it be named for Weaver. In 1991, the Weaver branch was renamed the Weaver-Bolden branch in Bolden's honor, according to the library's website .

Sharon Harrison, Weaver-Bolden Library's branch manager, thanked the Haywood brothers for their role in continuing their grandfather's legacy.

"This is an amazing opportunity and an amazing moment in history," Harrison said.

The Haywoods expressed gratitude for the warm welcome recieved by the community.

"I want to thank everyone in this room for your part in all of this. It has been extremely moving for my brother, and for me," George Haywood said.

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George Haywood shared his experience in Alabama over the past few days and how he has grown to like the state after having some reservations growing up.

"My feelings toward Alabama have changed quite a bit ... partly because of the evolution of the state, the evolution of this country. And partly because of my experiences here in the last 24, 48 hours," he said.

John Haywood also said he has enjoyed his visit to Alabama and was honored for the recognition.

"I'm so happy to be here," John Haywood said.

Also during the ceremony, the Haywoods presented plaques to Stillman College and the Weaver-Bolden Library.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: 'A place of hope': Library honors legacy of Tuscaloosa's first Black surgeon, educator