* * Phyllis Albritton works for justice

Phyllis Albritton has spent her life working for peace and justice. She is involved in a myriad of organizations and was recently honored by the local chapter of the NAACP as their citizen of the year. Her resume of volunteer experience includes work with Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, Blacksburg/Christiansburg Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Clubs of New River Valley, Greater Blacksburg Chamber of Commerce, Heritage Hall, Montgomery County Council of PTAs, Montgomery County School Board, United Way Fund of Montgomery County, Valley Interfaith Child Care Center, Virginia Congress of PTAs, Witness for Peace, and the YMCA at Virginia Tech.

Her move to Blacksburg from Evanston, Illinois in 1973 wasn’t entirely smooth. She told me as we sat in her small living room, filled with memorabilia of family and travels, “I had a difficult time with Blacksburg. The other places I’d lived (Binghamton NY, Charlottesville VA, Webster Groves MO), were more communal. When I moved here, people were tending their own gardens. Nobody seemed that concerned about issues, either locally or globally. My husband at the time and I got involved teaching church school at Blacksburg Presbyterian; I, with the League of Women Voters, and the local PTA and was regional vice president of the VA Congress of PTAs. As I met more people, I got in touch with people who cared about the kids. The PTA was always important for me, locally, state-wide, and nationally for many years.

“I have never felt oppressed personally. I have always understood that I have been given gifts from God to use for the common good. I learned this from my parents, owners of women's apparel shops. Daddy was first-born generation Jewish, from New York City. Mother was Russian Orthodox, born in Ukraine. She woke early every morning to cook and clean as her mother ran a boarding house in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. Both parents were giving, open, caring people. They were amazing!

“At 16, my father recommended and I did go on a 3-month, one-knapsack class trip to Europe and the Middle East, giving back to the people in a Greek village after WWII, helping them build a recreation area. We also visited a Palestinian refugee camp and prayed at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of Jesus and Paul for much of our journey, staying in churches, camps, orphanages and schools.

“Living in Charlottesville I was very involved with the civil rights movement—hearing of Dr. King's assassination while at an NAACP Executive Committee meeting. With an African-American friend, we started probably the first desegregated school in the South, a preschool for 5-year-olds when Virginia had no public kindergartens.

 “I believe today the NRV is more community oriented. (It) is truly caring, with faith communities sheltering homeless men, feeding and counseling homeless, repairing homes of our poor and more. Today students in our public schools and at Virginia Tech and Radford University do many deeds of service.”

In January Phyllis and her husband Clark Webb, for the sixth year will take 12 students and community members to Blacksburg's Sister City in the mountains of Nicaragua, helping families build more fuel-efficient stoves.

In spite of her constant involvement in the betterment of our community, Phyllis was still shocked by the award from the NAACP. “It was a huge honor.” The award is named after Nannie Hairston who was a civil rights worker in Christiansburg. “For decades, Nannie wasn’t afraid to fight in a loving way for justice. Nannie and I share something that comes from faith understanding. To me, Jesus didn’t come to die for our sins or to save our souls. Jesus came speaking truth to power in a loving, caring way. He was a faithful Jew, who brought the God of the Jews to non-Jews. I hope at the heart of everything I do is a commitment to and love of all, and not being afraid.”

I asked Phyllis what she thought made some people more accepting, caring, and free of distain while others were more prejudiced. She said, “I have always felt sorry for those who carry hate. I believe they felt put down and insecure. We are all made in God’s image. If we can appreciate that about ourselves, black, white, brown, whatever our differences, that we are all given gifts to use for good, it will make the world a better place. I believe people who are hateful toward others often dislike themselves. We have to use our gifts for good. People, who haven’t had parents, teachers or mentors who cared about them often, become angry and disaffected adults.

“Hatred gets us nowhere. We must live with love for all, committed to making a difference – especially for the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, the outcast, 'with liberty and justice for ALL'."