HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — Harrisonburg City Public Schools celebrated the opening of the Celebrating Simms exhibit at Rocktown High School today. 

Celebrating Simms exhibit. Photo credit: Carolynn Unger.

The exhibit, originally developed in 2016 through a collaboration among James Madison University students, the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, former Simms student Billo Harper, and more than 50 community partners, honors pioneering African American educator Lucy F. Simms and the segregation-era Harrisonburg school named in her honor. 

Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed spoke at the event and said that this event is more than dedicating an exhibit. 

Celebrating Simms exhibit. Photo credit: Carolynn Unger.

“It is about making sure our history is seen, remembered, and passed on,” said Mayor Reed.

Mayor Reed added that this isn’t just Black history; it’s Harrisonburg history.