THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411080134
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
In addition to a new home, the Norfolk State University Archives recently received a set of documents that detail an important era in Norfolk's history.
The documents are the official records of the fight to bring the ward voting system to the city in the 1980s. They have been maintained by James F. Gay, who was part of the group of seven that sued the city over its voting setup.
Gay, president of Brazilian Furniture and Veneer, said that when the group filed the suit, records of similar cases were hard to find.
``There are very few historical documents that are accessible to the public,'' Gay said. ``When we filed this . . . we had to piece the information together.''
Gay presented the documents last month to the archives, which is moving to the first floor of the Lyman B. Brooks Library this week.
It is important, Gay noted, for people to have a direct source of information on why Norfolk went to the ward system. The court papers, indexes and newspaper clippings included in the documents provide an accurate history, he said.
Norfolk State archivist Tommy L. Bogger said adding the documents to the collection will help attract visitors to the center.
``I thought it was excellent news,'' Bogger said. ``And it's coming at just the right time.''
With recent developments about the ward system in Virginia Beach, Bogger said, the documents could be helpful for both research and curiosity. Last month the Virginia Beach City Council voted to transform itself from an at-large body to one elected by districts.
``It's a very, very hot topic right now,'' he said. ``Other cities have been forced to think in terms of a ward system. These papers, I'm quite sure, will be relevant reading for several cities in the area.''
Gay said that blacks were on the council when Norfolk had a ward system before 1917 but that the city's switch to at-large elections kept blacks out of office.
Gay, who has been an activist against discrimination since he was a Norfolk State student, said he and fellow activist Herbert Collins decided to sue after Collins unsuccessfully ran for City Council.
``A candidate would need white crossover votes to get elected,'' Gay said. ``Any black who ran couldn't win an election.''
An excerpt from the 1989 U.S. Supreme Court case - Herbert Collins et al. versus the City of Norfolk - states: ``. . . The principal issue is whether the complainants have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to elect more than one councilman as the `representatives of their choice.' ''
The Supreme Court found in favor of Collins, 9-0, and the Norfolk City Council was ordered to set up a ward system. by CNB