For many years, I’d been at war: active in the battle for civil rights of the 1960s, the struggle for Vietnam veterans, antiapartheid/divestment/colonialism in Southern Africa in the 1970s, and tenant/elderly rights during the 1980s.

“What are the things that impact people and prevent them from moving forward?” That is the question that has always interested Lillie Estes in her work for social justice.

In 1972 Cleiland Donnan decided to be part of the solution to racial division in Richmond. It was an unlikely choice for someone who spent their life teaching the fox trot and social graces to the children of Richmond’s affluent West End.

“Since we are a nation comprised of many ethnicities, it is vital for each community to feel a sense of closure from the oppressions and injustices of the past. Until this is done we can't truly move forward as a nation.”

She was devastated when told that her husband had a brain tumor. But his quick recovery served as a wake-up call to them both."It is amazing how five words can change the rest of your life, readjusting your understanding of time, meaning and direction."