Created By: Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation
Rufus Edwards lived at 415 Gilmer Avenue. He was a brakeman for the Norfolk & Western Railway and served as secretary-treasurer of the Association of Colored Railway Trainmen and Locomotive Firemen. In 1944, he was represented by his childhood friend, Oliver Hill, in a Supreme Court Case that resulted in a landmark court decision that allowed African Americans to join and be represented by labor unions.
This point of interest is part of the tour: Gainsboro History Walk
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