A legacy created from a 40- year football rivalry between Armstrong and Maggie Walker high schools, the only two schools for Black students for decades, will be remembered this month at the 2nd Annual Armstrong Walker Football Classic Legacy Project Celebration. The first event is an exhibit at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center, featuring memorabilia collected and on display from alumni, staff and Richmonders who attended both schools.

The museum will host a private reception at 6 p.m. and public reception at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3. The exhibit will be on display through the end of November.

Items on display will include football jerseys, cheerleader uniforms, photos, yearbooks and other items compiled and catalogued over the past year.

Jonathan Davis, a teacher at the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center, is a 1978 graduate of Maggie Walker High School, and says the exhibit hearkens back to an important time in Richmond’s history.

“From 1938 to 1978, Armstrong and Walker were the only two high schools Black kids could attend,” he said. “But despite the rivalry, the two schools developed a camaraderie and a cohesiveness in the Black community not seen since.” He said many students believe the rivalry between the two schools was one of the biggest ones in the country.

With so many people in Richmond impacted by gun violence and unwilling to see beyond each another’s differences, he said the project is a reminder to the community that rivals don’t necessarily have to be enemies.

“In this day and age, we are do divided, there is so much violence, and people are feeling so disconnected with social media, we want to remind people of a time when we were able to come together and enjoy one other despite differences,” he said .“We also want to make sure we educate the youth about the history of the schools and what we did back then.”

In addition to the exhibit, in homage to the 40 years both teams battled it out on the field after Thanksgiving, a parade and tailgate will take place Saturday, Nov. 26.

All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, please visit: https://www.awfootballclassic.com/.