Bill to Rename Local Post Office for Civil Rights Legend Clears House
Rep. Abigail Spanberger's bill to celebrate the life of Gladys P. Todd passed unanimously on Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Some things are just right. That’s why the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s bill on Wednesday to rename the post office at 1285 Emancipation Highway the Gladys P. Todd Post Office.
Todd’s accomplishments in Fredericksburg are legion and well-chronicled. Gaila Sims, vice president of the Fredericksburg Area Museum, addressed many of them in an October 24 article for the Advance about the achievements she and her husband, Clarence Todd, had in the city.
Mrs. Todd was an incredibly important community advocate in her own right, creating a playground for African American children in City Park (now Hurkamp), teaching the youth class at the Baptist Training Union, coordinating night study programs, and creating the Youth Canteen for Black teenagers, an essential outlet for social activities and learning experiences. She was a committed member of the NAACP and was referred to as a “political machine” in her obituary. In 1960, alongside Dr. Phillip Wyatt, Mrs. Mamie Scott, and other community leaders, Mrs. Todd spearheaded the sit-in movement here in Fredericksburg.
In another article commemorating the late Rev. Lawrence Davies, Sims detailed the role Todd played in getting Davies elected to city council.
Mrs. Todd made a block-by-block map of Fredericksburg and found a chairman for each block, organizing poll watchers and transportation (especially important in a community with limited access to cars). The number of Black voters doubled.
Spanberger spoke from the House floor about Todd ahead of the vote. Watch her full comments follow below:
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