Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan at St. Stephens
Published May 16, 2023
Petersburg, VA
On Sunday, March 26, 2023, for the 10:00 a.m. service, the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 228 Halifax Street, Petersburg, VA, availed the lectern to the newly elected, the Honorable Jennifer McClellan, the first black female from the state of
Virginia, 4 th Congressional District, as the speaker for the celebration of the life of the Venerable Dr. James Solomon Russell.
McClellan was introduced to the St. Stephen’s congregation and friends by Mr. Bobby Conner, Vice Chair of the James Solomon Russell and St. Paul College Museum Archives.
Congresswoman McClellan first highlighted her family’s connection to the City of Petersburg, relating her childhood at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 403 Halifax Street. Without notes, she outlined several layers of statutory injustices, from the Reconstruction-Jim Crow era, that she had learned from her grandparents to today’s struggle with securing civil rights, jobs, housing, and educational
opportunities.
After this, the various church dignitaries received Ms. McClellan, and she was presented with an elaborately framed seal of the James Solomon Russell and St. Paul College Museum Archives.
A portrait of Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, taken at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, was placed in the Petersburg Art League Building.
By Joseph P. Dickens
May 4, 2023
