By Shawn Nowlin
The Reverend Dr. Raymond Rogers “R.R.” Wilkinson, a prominent Roanoke minister and Civil Rights advocate was honored posthumously on June 16 with a street named in his honor. Formerly Carver Avenue Northwest, “R.R. Wilkinson Avenue,” can now be found on Google Maps.
Present for the ceremony was daughter Cassandra Wilkinson-Lighty and her three sisters, their children, grandchildren, Wilkinson’s sister-in-law as well as other members of the extended family, longtime friends, colleagues, and Roanoke officials, including Mayor Sherman Lea Sr. and other city council members.
Nathaniel Raymond Benjamin, one of Wilkinson’s grandsons, said, “My grandfather warned an all-white city council that he would organize a baby carriage brigade. About a week later, the council voted to take the promised action. Just as the star on Mill Mountain shines bright on this great city through the years as a beacon of hope, let R.R. Wilkinson Avenue be a beacon of justice, for equality for generations to come.”
A leading fighter in balancing the community social justice scale, Wilkinson was vital in the closing of the former Washington Park garbage dump as well as numerous other efforts. Both in 1963 and 1965, he walked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington D.C., and Alabama, respectively.
Wilkinson was also vital in bringing integration into Roanoke’s theaters, lunch counters, and public schools. Through outreach efforts to Black NFL players in 1960, he was able to facilitate a preseason game at the then-segregated Victory Stadium in Salem between the Baltimore Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Among the first Black children to attend White schools in Roanoke were his daughters.
“Daddy inspired us and taught us to be strong. I remember when we discussed going to integrated schools telling him that I didn’t want to leave my friends. He told us to be brave and that we were doing this for history,” Wilkinson-Lighty said. “That day we had to walk to school with mom, but nothing bad happened to us. Dad had prepared us. He already talked to people so the teachers and principal knew who we were.”
In 1993, at age 69, Wilkinson died. According to his biography, from 1958 to 1991, he led his congregation at High Street Baptist Church. Wilkinson also served as Roanoke’s NAACP President in the 1960s and worked tirelessly in that role.
Fighting for people’s equality wasn’t just something Wilkinson believed, it was in his blood. Professional accomplishments aside, everyone who spoke about Wilkinson highlighted the character that he possessed.
Longtime Hill Street Baptist Church member Darnell Wood says he can’t think of a person more deserving of such an honor. “It is so great to have this done here, the location where he fought so hard. He didn’t just fight for one person. He fought for all people within the City of Roanoke, and we need to really reflect on what he did,” he said.
Wilkinson was also honored at a Strong Men and Strong Women in Virginia History Ceremony in Richmond earlier this month where his family attended events and services.
