In Memoriam: Oliver Hill

Oliver Hill and Syd Dorsey (a member of the UVA Board of Visitors) at the Sorensen Gala in March 2007

The state and regional board members, staff and alumni of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership would like to express our condolences to the family of Oliver W. Hill Sr., who passed away yesterday morning at his home in Richmond. Virginia has lost one of its greatest citizens.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today that Oliver Hill was a pivotal figure in the fight to desegregate
schools in Virginia and across the nation. He was 100.


Mr. Hill was a lawyer and a former Richmond city councilman, the first black person elected to that office in the 20th century.
During the segregation era, Mr. Hill's legal team filed more
civil-rights suits in Virginia than were filed in any other state in
the South. The team won landmark decisions involving voting rights,
jury selection, access to school buses, employment protection and other
matters.
He played a crucial role in the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board
of Education decision in 1954 that outlawed school segregation in the
U.S.


"Few individuals in Virginia's rich history have worked as
tirelessly as Oliver Hill to make life better for all of our citizens,"
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said in a statement. "His life's work was
predicated on the simple truth that all men and women truly are created
equal."

Click here for the full story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, including links to the official obituary, biography, and slideshow.