The Legacy of Systemic Racism
This story focuses on the community of Grove, about 7 miles from Colonial Williamsburg. First, let me give you a little history of this area. It contains several historic sites: Carter’s Grove Plantation, Martin’s Hundred, and Wolstensholme Towne, an important archeological site for early Virginia history. The community of Grove came into existence after the Civil War, as freedmen from Carter’s Grove and other nearby plantations settled in the area. The population hovered at around 100 people until the middle of the 20th century. At that point, hundreds of displaced people, mostly African American, who were uprooted by federal land acquisition for major waterfront military installations in nearby James City and York counties. Navy bases established were the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, the Cheatham Annex supply complex, and Camp Peary. More recently, the population has been increased by the arrival of a largely immigrant Spanish-speaking population in the community.
Since then, Grove has continued to grow, and now includes an increasing number of Hispanic people, largely immigrants. Most of the economic development in Grove has focused on the growth of industry, and county services are not always readily available to residents. In addition, Grove is considered a “food desert;” the nearest grocery stores are 10 miles to the north, in Williamsburg, or 10 miles to the south, in Newport News. There is a Family Dollar store in Grove, but it is not a great place to buy nutritious food at good prices. The bus lines that service Grove are inefficient; they pass the area once an hour, and don’t go where the residents need to go without transferring at least once. I can get to the Walmart (10 miles from my house) in about 15 minutes. If a resident of Grove wants to go to the same Walmart (14 miles from Grove) and doesn’t have a car, it would take them at least hours and would involve a transfer to a second bus line. This would assume that each of the buses is on time. After doing what they need to do at Walmart, they would have to return the same way – this time, probably carrying packages. The idea of “running errands” – doing a list of tasks before returning home – is virtually impossible.
This article is focused on renewed efforts to address the needs of this community through government action. John McGlennon, a member of the James City County Board of Supervisors, spoke to this issue at a community meeting I attended a few weeks ago. He spelled out the problems of providing services to this area – problems the article addresses. State Senator Monty Mason, who represents this area in the Virginia General Assembly, was also quoted as being focused on addressing the (long-ignored) needs of the people of Grove.
The article also talks about the plans by the local library to extend services to Grove. It has operated out of the Abram Frink Jr. Community Center on Saturdays, and has begun to host Spanish storytimes once a month at the Grove Christian Outreach Center. This community center is attached to a county elementary school, but it is currently open only on weekday evenings from 4-9 pm. It is not open on the weekends. I heard John McGlennon talk about how the limited hours are due to limited demand for the facilities; the hope is that, as the library beefs up its services to Grove, adults who bring their kids to the library will use the community center and families that come to the community center will use the library.
All of this depends, in part, on a road program through Grove. Improving Route 60 (named Pocahontas Trail. I’m sorry) has been on the books but not implemented for years. Improvement of this road, and revision of the county bus system, will make life better for residents of Grove.