Equality Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Huntington, Morgantown Again Top Cities On LGBTQ Equality Index

Charleston came close, at 92. All three cities were recognized by the organization as “all stars” with at least an 85.

For the third year in a row, Huntington and Morgantown scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s municipal equality index.

Charleston came close at 92. All three cities were recognized by the organization as “all stars” with at least an 85. West Virginia is one of 20 states that lack statewide protections against discrimination for sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Human Rights Campaign is a national LGBTQ rights organization based in Washington, D.C.

Out of more than 500 cities the organization scored, 129 received a perfect score. The average among all cities was 71, up from 69 last year and 67 in 2021. Only five cities scored a zero.

In West Virginia, Wheeling scored a 76. Charles Town got a 45 and Lewisburg a 43. Parkersburg scored 13.

The index considers local anti-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, law enforcement and local leadership on LGBTQ issues.

Minority Affairs Office to Host Event in Weirton, W.Va. to Hear From Citizens

The Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs (HHOMA) is hosting an event in Weirton Thursday evening, focused on helping minority residents across West Virginia.

HHOMA invites the public to speak about issues that affect their community, like economic concerns, housing, education and health. Those concerns will then be relayed to Governor Jim Justice.

The listening tour is also expected to stop in Huntington and Jefferson County later this year.

Dr. William White, the executive director of the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs, says by traveling across the state, it will give other West Virginians the opportunity to voice any concerns, such as the state’s work force.

“Not only am I looking to get women and minorities in the work place, but I’m also looking to get all folks in the workplace,” Dr. White said.

The timing of the event follows violent protests by white supremacists in Charlottesville, VA, but White says the listening tour has been months in the making.

“We want to be proactive, we don’t want the same kinds of things to happen in West Virginia that happened in Charlottesville,” he said.

The Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs is a state agency named after a civil rights leader who lived in Huntington and helped advance fairness and equality in West Virginia.

Thursday’s event in Weirton will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Mary H. Weir Public Library in Weirton.

Despite Jim Crow Laws and Segregation, Charleston W.Va.'s Nightclubs Were a Melting Pot

The 1930s, 40s, and 50s in Charleston- before the decline in mining jobs caused many African Americans to leave Kanawha County- those years were electric with music that could be found throughout the city on almost any night of the week. That’s what Hubert “Rabbit” Jones remembers.

Jones made his living as an accountant, but his love was playing improv jazz or the blues with so many of musicians who passed through the capital city. Back then, segregation was still officially law, but in Charleston’s night clubs, blacks and whites would often mingle. Jones played upright bass at many of the nightclubs in town, including many of the white bars, where officially, white people were not supposed to dance to music that was being performed by black musicians.
“And of course sometimes the policemen would stop them and sometimes they wouldn’t. And then following the dances some of the whites wanted to come over to the triangle district for the rest of the night, listening to and dancing to black music.”

Workers outside the Ferguson Theater, 1939.

By “the triangle district”, Jones is referring to The Block, a neighborhood in downtown Charleston that once flourished with many black owned businesses. Today, most of what can be found in The Block is a post office, and an interstate exit. both of which were built right on top of this once vibrant and ethnically diverse community.

The first C.H. James Produce Company was located in downtown Charleston on Summers Street

Thursday evening, Jones will discuss his role in some of that community’s history. His lecture will take place at 6:00 P M in at the Culture Center Archives and History Museum on the Capitol Complex in Charleston.

Music in this story was by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, playing “Just Gone”, courtesy of WFMU.