Did you know Blacksburg appears in the pages of The Richmond Planet?
Edited by the legendary John Mitchell, Jr., The Richmond Planet was one of the nation’s most influential Black newspapers. We know people in Blacksburg subscribed to it—in the October 5, 1895, edition, C. A. Miller of Yellow Sulphur Springs wrote to the editor about raising funds here for the defense of two women.
A search of the archives reveals years of letters and news from Blacksburg, including coverage of the 1917 trial of Virginia Tech mathematics professor Charles E. Vawter’s murder of Stockton Heth, Jr.
These stories remind us that Blacksburg was connected to important conversations taking place across Virginia—and The Richmond Planet preserved that history.
Want to read The Richmond Planet? Newspaper.com (paid service) is the easiest to search. Virginia Chronicle, Library of Virginia, is free but not as easy to search.
Want to learn more about John Mitchell, Jr? Check out this Library of Virginia post and the Birth of the Planet documentary.
Gathering African American History 