By David Slipher
L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

The Liberty Bell recognizes an individual who promotes the significance of democracy and the rule of law, encourages citizens to recognize their duties as well as their rights, and contributes to the betterment of institutions of government.

Annie Holland, executive director of the Richmond Bar Association, noted Wilder’s prominence at national and local levels. A lawyer by training, Wilder took office in 1990 as the nation’s first elected African American governor and is the namesake of VCU’s School of Government and Public Affairs.

“Long before he made history, he began his career right here in Richmond as a practicing attorney and member of the Richmond Bar Association,” Holland said. “Honoring him now brings that full circle.”

Award nominator William Egen, a policy analyst for the Virginia Commission on Youth, noted that Wilder’s role is a symbolic reminder for Richmond Bar Association members to continue to advocate for change by recognizing the power of the law.

Wilder said the Liberty Bell honor reflects not just achievement but ongoing commitment.

“The award means a great deal to me because it’s still showing the importance of America’s quest for freedom,” he said. “The word ‘liberty’ itself means free, and to this extent, the law has been the mechanism and vehicle that had to be available to bring about equality, which those who believe in it continue to honor.”

Wilder passed the Virginia Bar Exam in 1959 amid immense discrimination. He has noted that, at the time, only one African American per year was permitted to pass the bar. He then established a successful legal practice in Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood, where he was born and raised.      

In 1969, Wilder became the first African American elected to the Virginia Senate since Reconstruction. He made history again in 1986 when taking office as lieutenant governor and in 1990 as governor. In 2005, Wilder was inaugurated as Richmond’s first directly elected mayor in six decades. 

“Governor Wilder’s journey — from being denied admission to the bar explicitly based on race to receiving the Richmond Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award — is a testament to his steadfast commitment to justice and equality,” said Susan T. Gooden, Ph.D., dean of the Wilder School.  “His life’s work has trampled barriers and paved the way for future generations to pursue justice with both courage and conviction.”

Wilder’s achievements include securing the election of African American judges in Virginia, including history-makers Willard H. Douglas Jr. and James E. Sheffield.

“Governor Wilder has always had a passion for staying involved and committed to improving the community,” Egen said during the award ceremony. “The law, which is where he started his career, has been the throughline that has kept that passion ignited.”

Egen notes that it is fitting that the last chapter of Wilder’s autobiography, “Son of Virginia,” is titled “Ringing the Bell.” Wilder wrote that the Emancipation Proclamation, issued 162 years ago, was the first ringing of the bell. The second ringing came a century later with Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.

The question remains, Egen posed to the crowd, “How do we keep the bell ringing — and whose arms will lift to pull the ropes?”

This story originally appeared on the VCU Wilder School website.