A civil rights activist who co-founded Prince William County’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration was commended by supervisors.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — A civil rights leader and longtime Prince William County resident was honored by the Board of County Supervisors Tuesday.
Joann Bagnerise, a community activist who co-founded Prince William County’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration among other milestones, received a proclamation from the board. Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin. (D-Woodbridge) presented the proclamation and credited Bagnerise with making meaningful contributions to civil rights and Prince William County.
“I stand on the shoulders of our ancestors,” Bagnerise said in remarks, pointing to 22 women at Howard University who founded Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 1913 as well as Prince William County’s own educator Jennie Serepta Dean.
“You’ve been a mentor to me and to so many others on this board and folks that take on many prominent and not so prominent fixtures in our community,” added Supervisor Kenny Boddye (D-Occoquan). “As we continue on, you live on in all of us, and you continue our legacy through us.”
According to the proclamation, Bagnerise was a 22-year volunteer at the White House under four presidential administrations, served on the Jennie Dean Memorial Committee, and volunteered at the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall. The Prince William County Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration that Bagnerise co-founded has become one of the largest commemorations in the U.S.
She is also a charter member of the Prince William County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and has contributed to the Phyllis Wheatley Young Women’s Christian Association, the National Council of Negro Women, Unity in the Community, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Prince William County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Among her awards were the 2012 President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama, Distinguished Service Award from the NAACP, and Lifetime Humanitarian Award at the 2019 Dale City Multicultural Achievement Awards and Scholarship Banquet.
Along with honoring Bagnerise, the Board of County Supervisors recognized the 40th anniversary of the Omicron Chi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the 25th anniversary of the Panorama Latino TV show, and the Woodbridge Woman’s Club’s service project for General Federation of Women’s Clubs’ International Day of Service to End Domestic and Sexual Violence.
