Traveling exhibit honoring life of civil rights champion and educator, Mary Ellen Henderson, runs through March 1 at Northern Virginia Center

In celebration of Black History Month, Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center (NVC) is hosting A Radiant Spirit: the Journey of Mary Ellen Henderson, a traveling exhibit honoring local area civil rights champion and educator, Mary Ellen Henderson.  

Henderson, a long-time Falls Church resident and educator, worked tirelessly as teacher, principal, and social activist to achieve equal rights for African Americans. She was a beloved teacher and principal
of the Falls Church Colored School for 31 years.
On September 18, 2005, the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church, was named in her honor on what would have been her 120th birthday.

A Radiant Spirit: the Journey of Mary Ellen Henderson highlights Henderson’s influential work at a crucial time in American history. Her efforts helped shape strategies for achieving educational equality across the nation and influenced the social and political fabric of Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia.

Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation organized the exhibition. Nikki Graves Henderson (wife of Henderson’s grandson, Edwin), an experienced museum professional, is curator for the exhibit, which includes photographs, family memorabilia, artifacts, reproductions of rare documents, and two short films. The exhibit was underwritten by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C., and friends of Tinner Hill.

Located on the second floor of the NVC, the exhibit is open to the public during NVC operating hours:  7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday – Friday; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday,
and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday.

Posted February 20, 2008