When one’s voice is firmly silenced, there is often a brief moment of contemplation to wonder, “What now?”
Longwood alumna Donna Anuskiewicz, who worked as Editor-in-Chief of The Rotunda from 1963-1964, answered that question by publishing a large blank space in The Rotunda on Oct. 16, 1963 with only a few words. These words were, “This space which usually contains the editorials is blank for two reasons: 1) The tone of the editorial which was to appear here was considered by the administration to be too antagonistic for publication. 2) The blank space is to remind us that an unsolved social problem exists and will continue to exist until we find a satisfactory solution to it. Such a solution can come about only through the combined efforts of the groups who have created it. May we be willing to put forth that effort.” The “unsolved social problem” was one that cultivated a generation that is known as the “crippled generation” in Farmville, Va.
The blank space that was published within The Rotunda would have been filled with an editorial written by Anuskiewicz promoting the integration of the State Theater, which is currently known as Crute Stage.
This act of protest was so noticeable that the New York Times later wrote on this incident in Oct. 26, 1963 that was titled, “Prince Edward, VA., Race Stand is Questioned by Campus Editor.” Anuskiewicz returned to campus for the 50th Alumni Reunion as well as coincidentally the 50th reunion of Prince Edward Free Schools movement this Friday, April 4. Associate Professor of History Dr. Larissa Fergeson publicly interviewed both Anuskiewicz and fellow Longwood alumna Sharon Gibb, who worked as a contributor to The Rotunda in 1963 and was a fellow ally in the integration of Prince Edward County Schools, on Friday, April 4. Fergeson interviewed both on their experiences at Longwood College when it was an all-women’s college and when the rift between the campus and the Town of Farmville was deeper than ever.
The cause for the blank space in The Rotunda was sparked by then President Fred Wygal who told Anuskiewicz that she could not print the editorial, saying, “[It] would not have helped the situation,” as reported by The New York Times. Instead, the overt empty space later filled the page of the following issue of the newspaper and stood as a sign that voices were being silenced.
Prince Edward County’s history of extremism came to a head during the Civil Rights Movement when integration was being motioned into the country’s schools. During the Massive Resistance from Sept. 1, 1959 to Sept. 8, 1964, the county school board of Prince Edward County was so adamant to remain segregated that all of the public schools were shut down. Gibb said that many students at Longwood College were unaware of what was happening in the county during this time. In one instance, a student during the time that the schools were shut down was enjoying lunch with a friend and saw two African American boys buying candy. She asked her friend, “Shouldn’t those boys be in school?” It was unfortunately more than uncommon to ask that question. Faculty and staff were aware of the issues occurring in the educational system of Prince Edward County, according to Anuskiewicz, but there was either passivity or racism against the African American population, creating no progress on integration.
According to Anuskiewicz, the hardest part of social activism is not simply educating the public on the issues, but getting them to act. During this time, The Farmville Herald advised its readers to “stand fast” to segregation and not “sacrifice principle upon the altar of expediency.”
In 2005, Editor of The Farmville Herald Ken Woodley stated that he was “ashamed of his newspaper’s past” and offered scholarships to those affected by The Massive Resistance, as reported on the Robert Russa Moton Museum website in Dec. 2005. Both Anuskiewicz and Gibb stated that there was only one faculty member who contributed to the integration of Prince Edward County schools, and that was Dean of Longwood College C. G. Gordon Moss.
It was not until the U.S. Supreme Court case Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County in 1964 that schools were finally reopened.
The history of the county citizens’ involvement for and against the movement is preserved in the Moton Museum in Farmville, Va.
After graduating from Longwood College in 1964, both Gibb and Anuskewicz went on to become teachers.
