A footnote to a historic event was unveiled Thursday in Norfolk after 65 years.
The City of Norfolk and the artists Shane Albritton and Norman Lee joined forces to build an eight-foot wall to honor Norfolk 17 and the lost class of 1959.
Norfolk 17 was a group of students who were the first to integrate Norfolk Public Schools.
The movement was called 'Massive Resistance'—the state of Virginia closed six White middle and high schools rather than allowing Black students to attend classes.
The purpose of the wall is to recognize both the Norfolk 17 and the white students known as the lost class of 1959 who were forced out of their schools by the closure.
Due to the closure, the white students were unable to receive their diplomas. They received them at a later time.
Many Black students were forced to continue their education in church basements and segregated schools that were still open.
The new glass and brick sculpture titled 'The End of Massive Resistance' shows a picture of the Norfolk 17, and a depiction of the lost class of '59 along with a poem written by Tim Seibles.
Geraldine Hobby, one of the students in the Norfolk 17 told News 3 the art structure has lifted a weight off of her shoulders.
"It means fresh air and a release, a release for the city," Hobby said. "For the bigotry and the discrimination to us as children and has lingered on with some of us for many years,"
The wall is located on Charlotte Street in Downtown Norfolk. The sculpture is free and open to the public.
