New highway markers honor Black history in Norfolk, Newport News – 13newsnow.com

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NORFOLK, Va. — Two new highway markers will be displayed to designate local Black history landmarks in Hampton Roads, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources announced Wednesday.
One marker will be located at the intersection of 23rd Street and Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, while the other will be located at the Attucks Theater in Norfolk at 1010 Church Street. The markers were approved along with seven others throughout the Commonwealth.
The Newport News marker aims to educate people about the founding of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) by activist Marcus Garvey in 1914. The sixth branch was established in Newport News, and was among the largest divisions created across the country. The text of the sign can be found below:
The Garvey Movement in Newport News
Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914 and launched its sixth division, or branch, in Newport News in 1918. The UNIA, which expanded to hundreds of divisions internationally, promoted Pan-Africanism, Black economic independence, and racial pride and separatism. The branch in Newport News, where Garvey’s message resonated with maritime and industrial laborers, was among the largest. Garvey spoke near here at the Dixie Theatre and at First Baptist Church in Newport News in 1919 to raise funds for the UNIA’s Black Star Line, a steamship company. Audience members were among the earliest and most enthusiastic investors. The UNIA was in decline by the 1930s.
In Norfolk, the new marker will aim to educate people about the “Apollo of the South,” or the historic Attucks Theatre. From 1934 to 1955, when it closed, the theater was known as the Booker T., but held many performances by major artists of the time. The Attucks reopened in 2004 after renovations. The text of the sign can be found below:
Attucks Theatre
The Attucks Theatre, known as the “Apollo of the South,” was built in 1919 in Norfolk’s thriving Black business district. It was financed, constructed, and operated by African Americans and was designed by Black architect Harvey Johnson. Named for Crispus Attucks, regarded as the first casualty of the American Revolution, the theatre was a venue for concerts, movies, plays, and community events. Performers here included Ruth Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillespie. Rooms upstairs served as offices for Black professionals. The theatre, known as the Booker T. from 1934 until it closed in 1955, was listed in the Green Book, a guide for Black travelers. It reopened in 2004 after renovations.
The Department of Historic Resources said that the purpose of these markers is not to “honor” the locations or people that they are placed for, but rather “to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.”
They added it could take “upwards of six months” before a marker can be installed. Additionally, the marker’s sponsor (in this case, the City of Newport News and the City of Norfolk) covers the marker’s manufacturing expenses of $3,000.

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