Virginia McLaurin

Virginia McLaurin

Virginia McLaurin still busy aged 103
Born (1909-03-12) 12 March 1909
South Carolina U.S.A.
Residence Washington D.C.
Occupation Retired seamstress and school volunteer

Virginia McLaurin (b. March 12, 1909) is a centenarian and resident of Washington, D.C.

Biography

Virginia McLaurin was born in South Carolina in 1909, when segregation was legal and women did not have the right to vote. It was also the year that the African-American civil rights organization NAACP was formed.[1]

She came to Washington D.C. as part of the Great Migration. Her husband died in 1941 whilst serving in World War II. She volunteers forty hours a week as a Senior Corps volunteer with the UPO foster grandparents program at the Roots Public Charter School.

In her lifetime she remembers the introduction of electricity, the early Model T Fords being driven on the road, and was living in Washington D.C. when Martin Luther King was assassinated.[2]

In 2013, Ms. McLaurin received a volunteer community service award from Mayor Vincent C. Gray in recognition of her voluntary work.[3]

In 2014, thanks to a campaign by the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), a TV crew publicized the fact that her apartment was infested with bedbugs. A local pest control company got rid of the infestation and gave her a free bed. [4] Her landlord also arranged for her apartment to be redecorated.

She gained national attention after a visit to the White House on 18 February 2016 to celebrate Black History Month, after which a video of her dancing with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama went viral on social media.[5] She celebrated her 107th birthday with the Harlem Globetrotters.[6]

At the beginning of April 2016, thanks to many donations from the general public, Ms. McLaurin moved into her new apartment close to her church and the school where she is a volunteer. [7]

References

  1. ↑ "Guardian article highlighting notable African American women and their achievements during Virginia McLaurin's lifetime". Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Washington Post article". Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "NBC Washington news story". Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "WJLA article". Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "White House article". Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "After Meeting The Obamas, 107-Year-Old Virginia McLaurin Dances With Globetrotters". ESPN. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Youcaring article". Retrieved 6 April 2016.

Further reading

External links

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