Mary Williams 

Mary Williams grew up in Charlottesville and always wanted to be a nurse.  However, being a Black woman, she was unable to attend a college in town to achieve her goal.  So she moved away, got her degree, and had a wonderful career as a nurse.  She loved what she did and who she helped.  She was saddened to not be able to do it in her hometown, for the people she cared about.  When she retired, she moved back to Charlottesville.  And that was when JABA’s and Ms. Williams’ paths crossed and aligned.

JABA was trying to find a space to create a community center in Charlottesville.  And nothing was working out.  Ms. Williams knew that there were many seniors, especially black seniors in Charlottesville, who would benefit from the opportunity to socialize and have a nutritious lunch together.  She organized a group and led a march down Main Street.  She didn’t need to get very far before it caught the attention of the City Council, and all worked together to identify a space for the first center in Charlottesville.  Ms. Williams and her sister enjoyed several years of attending the center.  Ms. Williams was a wonderful leader in advocating for the needs of seniors, both at the community level, and even within the center for the activities that were expanded.

Cecelia Epps 

Cecelia Epps grew up in Nelson County, and married a local gentleman.  Together they became a force for equity for black citizens in Nelson.  Mr. and Mrs. Epps led a group to improve the quality of education for their children.  Initially, they were promised an equal education in the black school.  However as it became evident that this was not really what was occurring, Mrs. Epps’ children have told us that they knew they would be the first children to integrate the school system.  And they were right.  Mr. and Mrs. Epps continued to advocate and were proud, along with other parents, to achieve integration of the schools in Nelson County.

Once her children were raised, Ms. Epps took the position with JABA to provide case management in Nelson County.  She and her “partner” Margaret Morton, who works for MACAA, were often seen driving around the county looking for people who needed their help.  They knew that between the two agencies, and the church groups, there was much they could do, and much that was needed.  Ms. Epps was JABA in Nelson County.  She helped to implement new programs, and she worked closely with the Blue Ridge Clinic. Her retirement brought a gym-full of people to honor her at the Nelson Center.

These two wonderful women made a huge difference for so many in their community, and we are proud to honor them today, and every day with their names on our centers,

Marta M. Keane

Chief Executive Officer