Fredericksburg Vice Mayor Chuck Frye Jr. said the city has always been open to progressing when it comes to race relations. But Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw said the mission has come into sharper focus in the past year.
Greenlaw noted that since the protest movement, the city created a Diversity, Equity, and Economic Advancement Officer position and made a concerted effort to tell more Black history.
“We’ve taken a look at how we do things and are truly trying to do what we need to do to make our city more inclusive,” Greenlaw said. “We’re looking at, ‘Are we doing things fairly and what can we do to make sure that we do?’ That, to me, has been a positive that has come out of all of this. We’re not in the same place today that we were a year ago.”
SYMBOLS CAME DOWN
Frye, the lone Black representative on Fredericksburg’s City Council, said he’s proud of what has been accomplished, and that he believes the city has been the leader in the region on racial equity issues.
The surrounding counties have made strides, as well. However, activists in those areas said battles are still ongoing.
Gary Holland, a pastor who lives in Stafford, lamented that after the Confederate flag was removed and the Board of Supervisors established the diversity coalition, the county has regressed, in his opinion.