My Halls Hill Family: More Than a Neighborhood

I am so appreciative of Miss Jones writing her memoirs of Halls Hill, having collected information from her friends and relatives who are older than she, to be able to take the personal history of a time before her birth. I grew up in Arlington, too, but never knew of Halls Hill's existence! We were THAT segregated. There were times while reading the book that I thought Arlington and especially the state of Virginia were not very nice. How had i thought W-L was so great? My oldest memory from high school about the workings of the school board was that we apparently got too "uppity" for the Richmond folks who then took away our privilege of electing our own school board as a punishment! I wish it would or could make a different to you, Miss Jones, to tell you that I personally am sorry for the disadvantages that were put upon you and your family and ancestors. Thanks for writing about it.

Wilma Jones is a gifted writer and storyteller who masterfully and methodically crocheted a beautiful tapestry of camaraderie among the African-Americans that lived, worked, and raised their families within the confines of the Halls Hill community during the Jim Crow era. She identifies the struggles and hardships that former slaves and their disenfranchised descendants faced on a daily basis under the heavy burden of segregation laws that were placed upon them by racist county politicians and sympathizers. Black men and women who gallantly fought and eventually won the battle for equality and civil rights. This book is so personal because I, too, grew up in Halls Hill and witnessed first-hand community leaders who worked shoulder to shoulder without fear and intimidation to tear down or, at minimin, alleviate every racist obstacle placed in their path. On a happier note, the book conjured up so many fond memories of neighbors looking out for each other while committing to create a better future for Halls Hills inhabitants. I am so grateful to now have a historical account of my community's courageous efforts to improve their way of life racially, economically, socially and culturally to share with family and friends. A must read!

Having been born into my White community in Arlington in 1960 I had not known about Halls Hill. I barely knew anything about the much closer area of Green Valley. Wilma Jones carefully took stories she had heard from her relatives and then herself to write the history of life behind the wall in the segregated area of Halls Hill. She did a great job and is of similar age so I could compare the Barcroft area of Arlington to life in Halls Hill. A must read.

Awesome book. I grew up there and with the author.

I grew up in Arlington but really did not know this history. I am grateful to Wilma Jones for telling it so well. She is part of a wonderful family and she tells a story we need to hear.

Excellent memoir that captures both the personal and the political issues of an earlier era, and of a specific neighborhood in Virginia. It is always good to get a glimpse of life through another's perspective.

This is a wonderful memoir of a community and a family. Having grown up not far away during the same time as the author and her siblings, I really enjoyed the memories.

Great read