“Go and Come Again: Segregation, Tolerance, and Reflection: A Four-Generation African-American Educational Struggle” by local author and educator Dr. Jerry Jones has been chosen as the 2021 Community Read selection for the Washington County, Virginia, Public Library.
With a focus on the history and culture of Glade Spring, Virginia, during the era of segregated schools and Jim Crow laws in the 1950s and 1960s, Jones’ book, “Go and Come Again,” serves as a tribute to the struggles that many African-Americans faced in their pursuit of an education. Jones also details the public school experiences of his grandmother, his mother, as well as his own, and reflects upon the successes of many African-Americans who felt they had to leave the area for higher education and employment.
After grade school at an all-black school in Glade Spring, Jones was bused to an all-black high school in Bristol where he graduated in 1965. His bachelor’s and master’s degrees are from the historically black Virginia State University in Petersburg. Jones also holds a doctoral degree from Virginia Tech.
His first teaching job in 1969 was as a high school business instructor in Baltimore, Maryland. From 1974 until 2001, he taught computer courses at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia.
Jones moved back to Glade Spring in 2001 to take care of his aging mother. In recent years he has served as a visiting professor of computer science at Emory & Henry College.
The Community Read project encourages the community-wide reading of a single book to foster shared conversation along with related events and activities for all ages. This year’s Community Read project launches Sunday, Sept. 12, at 3 p.m. in the conference room of the Washington County Public Library in Abingdon. Other activities in September are community book discussions, film showings and other engaging programs. All events are free and open to the public.
Multiple copies of the book are available for checkout at each library in the Washington County Public Library System: Abingdon, Damascus, Glade Spring, Hayter’s Gap and Mendota. Book club kits are available. For a list of related events and resources, visit www.wcpl.net.
This project is made possible in part from funding from the American Library Association in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries. The Washington County Public Library was selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in “Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries,” an American Library Association initiative that helps library workers better serve their small and rural communities. In addition, this project is generously supported by Emory & Henry College, Virginia Highlands Community College and the Friends of the Washington County Public Library.
