Image courtesy Virginia Tourism Corporation
Stories of protest and activism are front and center as part of the “Virginia Civil Rights” podcast, launched in January by the Virginia Tourism Corporation. The three episodes focus on individuals from throughout the commonwealth, including Richmonders, whose actions created lasting change.
The recordings are part of the larger “U.S. Civil Rights Trail” podcast, which first aired in 2021 with a season focusing on stories from Alabama. Now in its eighth season, additional states that have been highlighted include Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee. Each episode of the “Virginia Civil Rights” podcast focuses on a different town and selected pivotal movements, transporting listeners to the past and sharing ideas that challenged the status quo of the time. These stories illuminate everyday citizens who ignited change through events that are not as commonly well known as other more publicized moments of the civil rights movement.
Tanner Latham, executive producer of the podcast, says he hopes the episodes will inspire others as much as they have inspired him. He has worked with several different publications for years to uncover Southern stories and spread awareness of Black history. “[These are] the stories of ordinary Americans who had extraordinary courage,” Latham says. “The thing I learned through most cases, especially Virginia, is that most of the people profiled were either teenagers or in their early 20s, very young people. They were facing really, really difficult circumstances.”
From student protests in Farmville to sit-ins in Fredericksburg, the podcast explores historic events that have left a lasting impact on the commonwealth and beyond. The episodes feature historical locations around Virginia, places listeners can visit, experience and explore. There’s even a preplanned itinerary available on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail website.
Episode 1 of the podcast follows teenager Barbara Johns, who led a student strike at her segregated high school in Farmville. Episode 2 further dives into stories of school protests and sit-ins, mainly centered around the Fredericksburg area. Episode 3 is an in-depth exploration of Bloody Monday, a notorious day in 1963 when protestors in downtown Danville were met with violent backlash.
One of the individuals sharing insight on the podcast is former Harvard professor Gary Flowers. A fifth generation Richmonder, he has dedicated over 35 years to civil rights activism. He emphasizes that Virginia’s history goes deeper than people might realize. In many ways, it’s the epicenter of the topic. “Virginia is ground zero for the American empire,” Flowers says. “Before we talk about podcasts and the trail of civil rights in other states, it all originated in Virginia. Many of the laws and social mores for racial segregation began in Virginia.”
Preservation of Black history has also become a polarizing topic under the Trump administration. President Trump’s executive order to restore “truth and sanity to American history,” signed on March 27, 2025, says that the U.S. has experienced a rewrite of history that casts “its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.” This has led to the scrubbing of how history is presented at some national sites and online.
“The purpose of the show, frankly, is to remind people how similar things were to 60 or 70 years ago,” Latham says. “When listening to these episodes and listening to how similar the situation might be, seeing the commonalities between 1950 and 2026 is really important.”
W. Kent Ruffin, director of the African American Heritage Association of Virginia, says it simply matters that people have access to learn about the history of civil rights. “I hope that people see something they didn’t know,” he says. “That’s all I want to do — illuminate them to something they didn’t know. What they do with it, that’s up to them.”
The “Virginia Civil Rights” podcast can be found on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
