“No Virginian in the past 100 years has had such an impact on the life of our commonwealth as Oliver Hill,” former Virginia Gov. and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine once said of the late attorney and civil rights leader. “He moved America from the darkness of the 19th century to the promise of the 21st.”
Despite enduring hostility, cross burnings, and death threats, Hill remained steadfast in his fight for justice. A member of the legal team that took Brown v. Board of Education to the U.S. Supreme Court, Hill also led dozens of other cases challenging unfair housing, discrimination, and segregation. Throughout his career spanning over 60 years, he received more than 90 awards for his commitment to social justice, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.
Now, thanks to a six-figure lead gift from an anonymous donor, Richmond Law will honor Hill once more with the creation of an endowed faculty position named for him.
“Oliver Hill’s life and work embody the very best of what the legal profession can offer society,” said Dean Wendy Perdue. “By establishing this position, we recognize his extraordinary legacy and ensure that future generations of lawyers will be inspired by his example of courage, persistence, and service to justice.”
“He moved America from the darkness of the 19th century to the promise of the 21st.”
A native of Richmond, Hill came of age during a time when educational opportunities were limited for Black Americans, forcing his family to send him to Washington, D.C., to complete high school. After graduating from the Howard University School of Law in 1933, he returned to Virginia determined to dismantle the Jim Crow era through the courts. His first major Supreme Court victory, Alston v. School Board of Norfolk, secured pay equity for Black and white teachers. Hill went on to challenge segregated schools across Virginia and played a pivotal role in integrating higher education. In 1951, he filed the Prince Edward County suit that became part of Brown, the landmark 1954 decision striking down segregation in public schools.
Professors Henry L. Chambers Jr. and Jonathan Stubbs were named Oliver Hill Faculty Research Scholars.
“Being associated in any way with Oliver Hill is an honor,” said Chambers. “He fought tirelessly to help our country move closer to living up to its ideals, and some of the good fortune in my life and the lives of all Americans can be traced directly to Mr. Hill’s work. I [aim] to channel some of his intelligence, passion, work ethic, and fearlessness into my work.”
This position is more than an honorific, Perdue said. “It is a promise that Mr. Hill’s fight for equality will continue here at Richmond Law through the teaching, research, and scholarship of our faculty. Through this effort, we are committing ourselves — and our students — to advancing the principles of justice and opportunity [he] championed.”
The anonymous donor who created the endowed position has committed to adding sufficient funds for it to become a professorship and invites others inspired by Hill to join in this effort.