Dr. N. P. Miller's Office/Farmville Shopping Center

Introduction

Dr. Nathaniel P. Miller, a prominent African-American dentist, was active in many civic organizations, including the NAACP. While the public schools were closed, Dr. Miller allowed the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker civil rights organization, to use his building as its headquarters when they came to help ameliorate race relations.

Across the street, Farmville's first shopping center was picketed by the Prince Edward NAACP Youth Council beginning in July 1963. The demonstrations were a product of growing frustration of younger African-Americans with the slow pace of the legal process to open the schools as well as the lack of employment opportunities available downtown. The protests marked a shift in tactics from the courtroom to the streets to challenge segregation.

Photo: VCU Libraries

Explore Map Back to Places