CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – 67 years after 12 Black students first integrated Charlottesville schools, one of those students, Charles Alexander, came to Sunrise Elementary to speak with its fifth graders about his experiences on Tuesday, the date recognized by CCS as “Charlottesville 12 Day.”
Alexander, also known as Alex-Zan, first began attending Venable, now Trailblazer, Elementary in 1959, one year before Ruby Bridges would gain national notoriety as the first Black student to attend an all-White elementary school in the South.
Alexander was the youngest member of what is now known as the Charlottesville 12, and at the time, had no idea the impact of what he was doing…