THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996                 TAG: 9606200177
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 05   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY MARY REID BARROW, STAFF WRITER 
                                            LENGTH:   40 lines

CITY TO RECEIVE PORTRAIT SUNDAY OF ITS FIRST BLACK OFFICE-HOLDER

A portrait of Willis Hodges, the first black office-holder in old Princess Anne County, will be presented to the city at an African-American history exhibit from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts.

The African American Cultural Council of Virginia Beach, which is sponsoring the event, also will present portraits of the first black office holders in Portsmouth, Norfolk and Chesapeake, once part of Norfolk County, to representatives of those cities. The council's goal is to promote community events that enhance cultural identity and pride.

The history exhibit, called Portraits of the Past, will feature more than 300 photos, prints and artifacts on the life of African Americans in Hampton Roads.

The presentation ceremony will begin at 5:45 p.m. with a reception to follow. Admission is $10 and free for children under 12. Tickets will be available at the door, but organizers ask that you call 460-3093 to make a reservation. The art center is at 2200 Parks Ave.

At the ceremony, the council will also give two special awards to recognize contributions of the New Journal and Guide, a black weekly newspaper in Norfolk, and to Persis Jennings, a Norfolk sculptor and mentor to black artists.

Hodges was a free black who was born in Blackwater in the early 1800s. Following the Civil War, he was elected a member of Virginia's Constitutional Convention of 1867-68 and became involved in local Republican politics.

Hodges wrote his autobiography, which was serialized in a weekly newspaper in the 1890s. Edited by Willard B. Gatewood Jr., it was published as a book, ``Free Man of Color,'' in 1982 and is available in the public library. ILLUSTRATION: Willis Hodges, a free black born in Blackwater, was

elected a member of Virginia's Constitutional Convention of 1867-68

and became involved in local Republican politics after the Civil

War. by CNB