UVA 'trailblazer' guest speaker at MLK Jr. Birthday Banquet
Jan. 10—TAZEWELL, Va. — Former Tazewell resident John Rainey was a "trailblazer" at the University of Virginia when he was one of a group of football players to be the first to receive a scholarship to play for the Cavaliers.
That was in 1970 during the years following integration, a time when most people may think an African-Americans faced the most obstacles.
But Rainey, a retired educator who now lives in Chesapeake, Va., said things have improved only somewhat since then and much work needs to be done.
"Now, people know it (racism) is not right, but they continue to do it anyway," he said, and some political leaders have amplified the "fear factor" in people, resulting in a more divisive atmosphere.
Rainey will be talking about this and other timely issues regarding race relations and the legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Saturday at the MLK Jr. Birthday Celebration banquet in Bluefield.
A football star at Tazewell High School, Rainey was a running back and safety during his college career as well and is featured in a YouTube documentary called "The UVA Groundbreakers," relating to being among the first African-Americans to break the scholarship barrier at the university.
Rainey said 1970 was also the first year women were allowed to enroll at UVA.
During those years at UVA, coaches were very good about protecting players.
"Overall, I have to say we did not see the direct effects (of racism)," he said. "Coaches played a big role in protecting us when we were there."
At that time, racism tended to be more behind the scenes, he said, more covert. But now that has changed and it is more overt.
"We are polarized even more," he said. "People are entrenched in their thought processes."
Rainey said he is glad to see events like Juneteenth to be celebrated (marking the June 19, 1865 date when Texas became the last state to abolish slavery), but it's like winning a battle but not the war related to some basic freedoms like voting and access to health care.
Celebrations can be a "distraction from what the real issues are," he added.
Rainey said King was initially reluctant to jump into the issues at the time, but "he was kind of forced to reckon with what was going on."
"Some of the things going on now are not much different than back in the 1950s and 60s," he said. "We don't have to ride in the back of the bus, but there are many 'buses' where we still ride in the back," he said of economic mobility, health care, and other pursuits clouded by the past.
Rainey is also concerned about public education and the recent movement to ban books and only superficially study the more unpleasant pieces of America's past like slavery and its profound impact which continues to be felt.
"I can see why people don't want history to be told in its entirety and truth," he said. "It is embarrassing."
Rainey is retired, but he wants to do everything he can to help advance the truth, he said, and also to help people, especially seniors, in the area of good health.
That is why he was recently certified as a personal trainer and is in the process of obtaining certification as a nutritionist.
Rainey is the guest speaker at the banquet Saturday at 1 p.m. at John Stuart United Methodist Church in Bluefield.
Rev. Charles H. Collins Sr., pastor of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church and President of the local NAACP Chapter, which sponsors the event, said to obtain tickets see a church member or call 1-304-888-1468 to make a reservation. Tickets are $20 each for adults and $10 for those under 13 years old. This is the only annual fundraiser for the NAACP.
Because of the pandemic, this will be first banquet celebration since 2019.
MLK Jr. Day is on June 16, which is a federal and state holiday.
King was killed by an assassin's bullet on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn.
Southwest Virginia Community College will host a Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration and luncheon on Jan. 16. The event was held in a virtual format during the pandemic, but will return to the King Community Center this year.
The event will begin at 11 a.m. on MLK Jr. Day, featuring a free lunch, jazz music from college's music department, student awards, guest speaker Rev. Sharon Bowers, and a special music session from Columbus, OH-based artist Chuck Starr.
Those who would like to attend this free celebration and luncheon are asked to RSVP by calling 276-964-7825.
— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com
Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com
