Propaganda sign criticizing Virginia Board of Education Member Wes Bellamy

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16918, Propaganda sign criticizing Virginia Board of Education Member Wes Bellamy, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Summary

Extent:
0.04 Cubic Feet One legal-sized file folder
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16918, Propaganda sign criticizing Virginia Board of Education Member Wes Bellamy, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains one printed sign with a photograph of Wes Bellamy next to a Confederate Flag. The text reads, "One of these is Racist. The Other is a Confederate Flag" with "#AdministrativeLeave" underneath. Unknown persons printed the fan, most likely by local neo-Confederates, who, in late 2016 and early 2017, campaigned to remove Bellamy, who was then Charlottesville City Council and Virginia Board of Education member, from office. Bellamy had championed the 2016 petition by then-Charlottesville High School student Zyahna Bryant, UVA '23, to remove the city's Confederate statues. Bellamy was pressured to resign when Jason Kessler, a white nationalist and UVA'09 graduate, uncovered anti-white, sexist, and homophobic tweets by Bellamy. Bellamy resigned from the Board of Education in December 2016 and was placed on administrative leave at Albemarle High School. Apologizing to his colleagues and the public for his past social media conduct, Bellamy retained his position on the Charlottesville City Council and filed a suit against Kessler. Kessler was eventually charged with perjury while Bellamy stayed in office for the remainder of his term.

Biographical / historical:

Wes Bellamy (Wesley Jamont Bellamy; born 1986) is the chair of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. [1] He is also a former vice-mayor of Charlottesville who served a four-year term on the City Council (2016-2019). [2]

Bellamy was elected to the Charlottesville City Council (2016-2017) on November 3, 2015. At the first meeting of the city council after the 2015 election, the members elected Mike Signer as mayor and Bellamy as vice-mayor, each serving two year terms. [3] At age 29, Bellamy was the youngest councilor elected under the current form of city government (2 months, 22 day younger than James Barr).

Soon after the 2015 election, Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed Bellamy to the Virginia Board of Education which develops statewide education policies and graduation requirements. A controversy over several recent tweets Bellamy wrote from 2009 to 2014 led him to resign from his seat. Source: Cvillepedia. "Wes Bellamy" accessed 8/15/2025 https://www.cvillepedia.org/Wes_Bellamy

Jason Eric Kessler (born September 22, 1983) is an American neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist.[1][2][3] Kessler organized the Unite the Right rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11–12, 2017,[4][5][6] and the Unite the Right 2 rally held on August 12, 2018.

Kessler is a supporter of neo-Nazism,[7][8][9] far-right politics,[10][11][12] and the alt-right. Source: Wikipedia. "Jason Kessler" accessed 8/5/25

Acquisition information:
This collection was a gift from Jalane Schmidt to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on 12 June 2023.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
White nationalism
Names:
Bellamy, Wes