Alexandria’s Vola Lawson broke down barriers, worked for the poor, restored order to the city

Lawson’s life story is fascinating, in part because she was raised in Atlanta by her grandfather, a longtime member of the Atlanta school board, and she grew up around prominent civil rights leaders of that city, including Martin Luther King Sr. after moving to the area to attend George Washington University, she married, settled in the Parkfairfax district of Alexandria, and became a civic activist. She lobbied for flood protection and against the city’s use of the Confederate flag, and in 1970 helped elect the first black city councilman since Reconstruction.