CHATHAM, Virginia – On Monday, July 26th, the Pittsylvania County Board of Directors celebrated the renaming of Chatham South Bridge on US Highway 29 to the Clyde Banks Memorial Bridge.
Banks was a noted civil rights activist in the Pittsylvania county, and his memory goes deeply to those who lived in the county’s communities. The dedication ceremony took place at the Chatham Community Center and saw an impressive turnout.
Pittsylvania County’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Bob Warren (Chatham-Blairs) began the ceremony with his opening address on Clyde Banks Sr.
“The board feels it is important to recognize those who have worked tirelessly to improve our community, and Mr. Banks has certainly done so with his dedication and advocacy for equality,” said Warren. Banks played an important role in the civil rights movement and in our community. He has been instrumental in helping African Americans find jobs, integrate public schools, and lobby for equal pay in schools and hiring blacks as sheriff’s deputies. Mr. Banks deserves recognition and the Board of Directors is pleased to honor him in this way. “
Dr. Charles Miller (Banister) followed Warren and praised not only Banks but also Banks’ friends who brought his character to light.
“Our county and our city are indeed far removed from what they once were. It was the thought of two of our African American citizens in the Banister District, Mr. Willie T. Fitzgerald and Mr. Lester Terry Jr., who in this way addressed the late Mr. Clyde Banks Sr., ”said Mueller.
Lynchburg-based Commonwealth Transportation Agency board member Bert Dodson Jr. never knew Banks personally, but gave those who had never met him an idea of who Banks was during his lifetime.
“Mr. Banks was born in Pittsylvania County in 1924 and lived here most of his life, except when serving his country in the US Navy,” said Dodson. “He ran the Traveler’s Inn in Chatham for nearly four decades. He saw many people come and go. He stayed and helped his community grow and change over time. Although incarcerated during the local civil rights movement, Mr. Banks worked constantly worked on integrating the county’s schools and workforce, including the Pittsylvania County Sheriff, and served as a member and director of numerous local and state organizations, including vice chairman of the Democratic Committee of the Fifth District and a member of the Central Democratic Committee of the state.
Dodson continued, “He was also a serving leader in his church at Corinth Christian Church. A man of many seasons and a man who has wonderful things to do. I wish I had known him. It is fitting today at a time of great social consciousness to remind him by the name of a structure in a community that he loved. “
Danville councilor Sherman Saunders knew Banks personally and shared his personal connection with Banks’s struggle for equal civil rights.
“A man of courage, a man of faith, a man who is committed to achieving freedom and equality for all … A man who was not selfish was all he did for the benefit of others,” Saunders said Education for All is committed to ensuring that the United States Constitution applies equally to all citizens. He was imprisoned for this. I know because I was there. I was 15 when this happened. I know this because my mother, brother, uncle, cousins and many others were arrested at the same time as Mr. Banks for trying to achieve equality for all. Mr. Clyde Banks was an absolutely great man. “
Former Virginia attorney general Mary Sue Terry credited Banks with her own professional success.
“I wouldn’t be standing here as a former Virginia attorney general if it weren’t for Clyde. And that’s the truth, ”said Terry. “I am so glad that there will be a permanent memorial to Clyde. I’m so glad because there are few people like him, few people with the courage and determination to do the hard work so that, over time, things will fit together. I know we have a long way to go in racial relations, but they were much better when Clyde died. “
Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor spoke about how, decades later, Banks directly influenced not just him, but the entire Sheriff’s Department. Taylor noted Banks’ courage and tenacity.
“In 1966, when Clyde Banks first stepped on the threshold of the sheriff’s office and said, ‘You need to hire a black deputy for this office,’ there was no money for the position. The Virginia Compensation Board said, ‘We’re going to give you the money,’ but the money didn’t come, ”said Taylor. Banks signed himself on his calendar to show up. He continued to appear. He showed up until the Compensation Committee gave in and said, ‘Okay, Mr. Banks, we’ll give you the money.’ Mr. Banks was a man of principle. As in the Bible, he stood in the void of those he loved in the community in which he lived. He stood in the void for the overlooked and underserved. Clyde Banks was the man who spoke out for good and against wrong. “
Taylor told the audience in attendance how the renaming of the Chatham South Bridge will affect him.
“Now when I cross the bridge to work every day I will see the name Clyde Banks and he will personally remind me of the sacrifices Clyde Banks and his family made during that time,” said Taylor. “Clyde Banks made our sheriff’s office a better place today. You will see that when you visit our office. “
Henry Myers, the second president of NAACP’s Pittsylvania County office and a close friend of Banks, recalled what he had learned from his time at Banks.
“Banks believed that in order to support or disapprove a problem, you had to be informed,” Myers said. “I have taught myself the need to attend political meetings, school board meetings, town councils, etc., and maintain the proxy, and listen to what was said. In fact, he taught me to say as little as possible and to concentrate on the essentials. “
Current NAACP President Anita Royston has never met Banks like Dodson in person. Still, she noticed its importance.
“A good story about a great person, told often, is a recipe for reminding yourself of the importance of remembering our ancestral traditions,” she said. “Every time you cross that bridge, think of Mr. Banks and let his example remind you and use it as a reminder of what can be done when we unite and work together as one.”
Another Banks friend, Willie Fitzgerald, knew Banks wouldn’t necessarily be ready for a dedication, but it is needed for what Banks has done for the community.
“Sir. Banks didn’t want recognition. If he were alive today, he wouldn’t want that. But for his family we know what he’s done for all of us,” said Fitzgerald. “If the name of Clyde Banks is up there, we can tell our grandchildren our story, what he actually meant to us. “
Banks son, Clyde Banks Jr., Fitzgerald agreed.
“If Dad were here in physical shape, he would say, ‘I don’t want any of this.’ But at this point in time, I think the community engagement and love are really good, ”said Banks. “I want to thank everyone on behalf of the family.”
Banks Jr. concluded on words he believed his father wanted everyone to hear, words Banks Sr. lived by.
“Have love for your community,” said Banks Jr., “The things you see, that you don’t like, you fight to change.”
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