Virginia McLaurin

Virginia McLaurin (born March 12, 1909) is an American community volunteer and supercentenarian. A resident of Washington, D.C., she gained national attention after a video of her dancing with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama went viral, recorded during an invited visit to the White House to be awarded a service medal on February 18, 2016 during annual Black History Month.

Virginia McLaurin
McLaurin during her visit to The White House in 2016
Born (1909-03-12) March 12, 1909
Cheraw, South Carolina, U.S.[1]
Other namesD.C.s Favourite Centenarian, Grandma Virginia.[2]
OccupationSeamstress, Manageress of a laundry, farm worker[3]
Known forCommunity volunteer, activist
Awards

Biography

Virginia McLaurin was born in Cheraw, South Carolina[1] on March 12, 1909.[4] According to McLaurin, she "was birthed by a midwife and the birthday put in a Bible somewhere."[5] In her childhood, she worked in the fields with her parents, shucking corn and picking cotton.[3]

She grew up during the Jim Crow era when racial segregation was rampant throughout the Southern United States.[6]

Never receiving an education past third grade, McLaurin got married at 13 and later moved to New Jersey as part of the Great Migration.[3] Widowed when her husband was killed in a bar fight, she moved to Washington D.C. to be closer to her sister in 1939.[3]

She worked as a seamstress,[4] as a domestic helper for families in Silver Spring, Maryland, and managed a laundry shop.[3]

Through AmeriCorps Seniors, McLaurin has volunteered forty hours per week at Roots Public Charter School since the early 1980s.[6][7] In 2013, she received a volunteer community service award from Mayor Vincent C. Gray.[8] After a TV crew publicized the fact that her apartment was infested with bed bugs in 2014, a local pest control company got rid of the infestation and gave her a free bed.[9]

Towards the end of the Obama administration, friends of McLaurin recommended to members of the Obama administration that she meet with the President due to her extensive history of volunteering.[6] In February 2016, the White House hosted McLaurin in celebration of Black History Month.[6][10] Upon meeting the President and First Lady Michelle Obama, McLaurin gave them both hugs and started dancing with them.[2] She would later say in interviews that she never felt that she would ever live to visit the White House,[2] and she never thought there would ever be a day she would get to meet a Black President with his Black wife while celebrating Black history.[6][2]

Shortly after her meeting with the Obamas, the video of her dancing with the two went viral online.[3] According to the local press, she has since been referred to as D.C.'s favorite centenarian and Grandma Virginia.[2]

On March 11, 2016, McLaurin received the President's Volunteer Service Award for her two decades of service to schoolchildren.[7] On May 27, 2016, she attended a Washington Nationals baseball game and was presented with a custom jersey on the field.[11]

Personal life and longevity

According to The Independent in 2016, she has two children with her late husband: a daughter and a son. While the former was alive at 87 years old, her son had since died.[3] Despite this, she estimated she had about 50 living descendants. At least one of her grandchildren had a great grandchild, making her a great great great grandmother. [3]

In 2016, The Washington Post reported McLaurin was having trouble receiving a replacement photo ID from the Department of Motor Vehicles due to her advanced age.[5]

In March 2019, McLaurin turned 110, becoming a supercentenarian.[2] She celebrated her previous birthdays from ages 106 to 109 with her favorite basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters.[12][13]

References
  1. "D.C.'s Virginia McLaurin is celebrating her 111th birthday". March 12, 2020.
  2. Carlson, Adam (March 12, 2019). "110 Years Old and 'Still Dancing'! Michelle Obama Wishes Happy Birthday to Beloved Centenarian". People.com. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  3. Itkowitz, Colby (February 23, 2016). "Virginia McLaurin: Dancing 106-year-old describes moment she met President Obama". The Independent. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  4. Klein, Allison (March 12, 2019). "Virginia McLaurin, who charmed hearts when she danced with Obama in the White House, turned 110 today". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  5. Milloy, Courtland (April 23, 2016). "Obama's dance partner is persona non grata in D.C. government". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  6. Samuels, Elyse (March 6, 2018). "Virginia McLaurin is celebrating her 109th birthday in style". Washington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  7. Warfield, Samantha Jo (March 11, 2016). "Internet Sensation, 106-year-old Dancing Grandma Receives President's Lifetime Achievement Award for Service". Corporation for National and Community Service (Press release). Retrieved July 5, 2017 – via PR Newswire.
  8. Sherwood, Tom (December 17, 2013). "104-year-old Virginia McLaurin honored for volunteering in D.C." WRC-TV. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  9. Holmes, Horace (January 21, 2015). "106-year-old woman's D.C. apartment no longer bed bug infested, thanks to 7 On Your Side". WJLA-TV. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  10. Garunay, Melanie (February 22, 2016). "Meet the 106-year-old who got to dance with the President and the First Lady". The White House. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  11. "107-year-old Virginia McLaurin attends first MLB game, dances on the field". Fox 5 DC. May 27, 2016. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  12. Pearl, Diana. "Virginia McLaurin, Who Danced with the Obamas, Celebrates Her 108th Birthday with the Harlem Globetrotters". People.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  13. Moye, David (March 6, 2018). "Woman Celebrates Her 109th Birthday With The Harlem Globetrotters". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
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