by Mary Campagna
About 50 people gathered at Roanoke’s Higher Education Center Tuesday to support Democrat Robert Jeffrey Jr.’s intended run for Roanoke City Council next May. Delegate-Elect to the 12th District of Virginia’s House of Delegates, Chris Hurst, introduced his long-time friend with a reference to the recent “blue wave” of leaders who espouse liberal and progressive values; those who will make Virginia more inclusive and diverse.
Jeffrey, 48, CEO and publisher of ColorsVA Magazine, was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, but reared in Roanoke. He attended William Fleming High School and later earned his degrees in business and marketing from Hampton University before moving to Seattle, Washington. Jeffrey returned to the area five years ago, desiring to follow in his mother and father’s footsteps.
His mother, Evangeline Jeffrey, is a former Roanoke NAACP president and has been a life-long social activist.
“My mother raised me to be an advocate for change,” Jeffrey told his supporters. “And my father, a minister, taught me the meaning of social justice.”
When a reporter asked how the candidate would educate young Roanoke leaders from out of town about the racial and cultural history of the city, he told a haunting story about his childhood here.
“My mother and I came home to an empty house one evening when I was a boy,” Jeffrey said. “The door was open. Our home had been broken into. The N-word was painted and smeared all over our walls and our valuables had been taken. That’s when I learned, firsthand, about the dark side of Roanoke’s history.”Jeffrey recalled that his mother refused to leave the house that night. She taught him to face his demons to make things better. He plans to share personal stories like this to inform and educate others who may lack understanding about social injustice in Roanoke; to begin dialogue.
“For many years I’ve promoted my belief that we can celebrate our differences,” Jeffrey said, echoing his words in the Publisher’s Note of ColorsVA: “I started ColorsVA magazine because I truly believe that ALL people can live together in harmony and if we understand each other’s differences, we can understand the great commonalities that we share.”
Jeffrey was asked if he supported Mayor Sherman Lea’s creative Roanoke’s Barbershop Initiative, to which Jeffrey responded that he “likes the idea because it’s a new kind of communication.”
“Everyone knows that barber shops are African Americans’ country clubs,” he said humorously. According to Jeffrey, Roanoke’s unique challenges include the promotion of small businesses, focus on the growing opioid epidemic, promoting affordable, quality healthcare for all, protection of the environment and addressing the issue of gun violence. He hopes to bring diverse neighborhoods together in an effort to evoke real change.
“We need sensible gun policies that insure community safety,” Jeffrey said. “These are complex issues and my mission is to address them across all racial and gender lines.”
Anyone wishing to support Robert Jeffrey’s campaign for a seat on Roanoke City Council may visit his website at: www.robertjeffreyforroanoke.com
