Arlington Honors 'Mayor Of Green Valley' With New Town Square

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County officials joined members of the Green Valley community Saturday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the John Robinson Jr. Town Square, a large plaza with public art, seating and tables.

The primary design feature of the town square is the FREED sculpture, a 30-foot-tall structure that pays homage to the notion of freedom. Each letter of the sculpture incorporates patterns featuring the name of the community of Green Valley and a Ghanaian Adinkra symbol.

The space was designed by Walter Hood, a landscape architect and artist who took inspiration for the design of the John Robinson Jr. Town Square from the history and community of Green Valley. Arlington County received a $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that allowed the county to enlist Hood and his Hood Design Group Inc. to design the town square.

Several members of Robinson's family were at Saturday's event to celebrate the opening of the town square. Robinson was a long-time resident and civic activist in the community, who was often referred to as the "mayor of Green Valley" by its residents.

Robinson, who died in 2012, published a community newsletter called the Green Valley News for more than 40 years. He fought against racial discrimination and other injustices and organized food and clothing drives, advocated for fair housing, worked with law enforcement to tackle the area’s drug problem and mentored children.

Robinson was born in Green Valley in 1934 and attended segregated Arlington schools. He went to Howard University and joined the Army. After returning to Arlington, Robinson became a civic activist and started publishing Green Valley News.

The printed program that listed the speakers and participants for Saturday's ceremony was patterned after Robinson's Green Valley News.

For years, the square, located where 24th Street South, South Kenmore Street and South Shirlington Road come together, served as a centerpiece of the community but was little more than some trees, chairs and benches. Construction to transform it into an official town square started before the COVID-19 pandemic

The area has "come a long way," Portia Clark, president of the Green Valley Civic Association, said at Saturday's event.

Robinson, who worked in the community without a salary, "was a rare breed who had a heart of gold," Clark said.

Clark said she was one of the young people who was paid to distribute the Green Valley News. The young people would sell the newspaper for 10 cents, and Robinson would let them keep 5 cents for every newsletter sold.

Christian Dorsey, vice chair of Arlington County Board, noted that the town square was first proposed 18 year ago as part of a Nauck community action plan.

On county maps, the area was called Nauck, named after a white developer who built houses in the area more than a century ago. But most of the area's residents referred to it as Green Valley, which was what the community was called starting in the 1840s.

In 2019, the Arlington County Civic Federation voted to approve the changing of the name from the Nauck Civic Association to the Green Valley Civic Association.

Saturday's ceremony, originally planned for the plaza, was held indoors due to the inclement weather. Joe Clair, a D.C. area radio personality and comedian, served as emcee of the event.

Local officials who attended the event included Arlington Board Chair Katie Cristol and Board Members Takis Karantonis and Matt de Ferranti, as well as County Manager Mark Schwartz, Sheriff Beth Arthur and Police Chief Andy Penn. State Sen. Barbara Favola, who previously served on the Arlington County Board, and Del. Alfonso Lopez also attended the event.

Dorsey said the town square will eventually include panels that highlight the community’s history. Community members and visitors and will get to read the text and learn about Green Valley.

At the end of Saturday's indoor ceremony, officials, community members and children came together to conduct the official ribbon-cutting for the new town square.