CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Local delegates Katrina Callsen (D-54th) and Amy Laufer (D-55) stood in front of the Albemarle County Office Building on Monday and presented Charlottesville 12’s Charles Alexander with a proclamation unanimously passed in the 2025 General Assembly. Alexander was one of nine students who walked into the all-white Venable, now Trailblazer, Elementary School September 8, 1959. Three walked into what was Lane High School, which is now the County Office Building.
Charlottesville City Schools have designated Sept. 8 as “Charlottesville 12 Day” to commemorate the historic occasion.
“This is Charlottesville 12 Day. I can’t get over it when I say it or think of it,” Alexander told a small gathering. “66 years when we walked through the steps at Venable. Nine at Venable, three at Lane High School.”
Part of the proclamation, House Joint Resolution 750, read by Del. Laufer says:
“WHEREAS, the historic integration of Venable Elementary School and Lane High School by the
Charlottesville Twelve marked a pivotal moment in the local civil rights movement and paved the way for
broader desegregation across the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, despite facing isolation, hostility, and the challenges of “massive resistance,” the
Charlottesville Twelve demonstrated extraordinary resilience and determination that inspired future
generations to strive for equality and justice; and
WHEREAS, the courageous actions of the Charlottesville Twelve not only advanced educational
opportunities for African American students…”
The full text is at the link below:
Looking at the title of the historic marker, Charlottesville Schools Superintendent Dr. Royal Gurley said, “We are so incredibly thankful for the triumphs of the Charlottesville 12.”
Gurley continued, “As an educational institution it’s our duty to keep those stories alive.”
Del. Callsen was very familiar with the building in front of which they stood.
“I served at school board right in this building, which is one of the integrated buildings,” Callsen said.
“I was the first minority woman ever elected to the school board in Albemarle and that was in 2017, so history is still being made.”
A copy of the proclamation will go to each of the Charlottesville 12 families.
