Reverend Kenneth Wright
A conversation with Rev. Kenneth Wright and museum volunteers Sarah Orrick and Annette David, recorded May 23-24, 2023. Rev. Wright recalls growing up in Elliston, his early education and work experience, and his philosophy of living.
About Reverend Kenneth Wright
Bernard Kenneth Wright was born in 1942 and grew up in Elliston. He was the youngest of four children born to Walter and Ila Agnes Jones Wright. In Part One of the conversation, he discusses the most memorable people and places of his childhood and his attendance at the Elliston Colored Grade School.
The Blue Ridge Overall Factory, later known as Redding Imperial, which a young Kenneth Wright helped to unionize.
In Part Two, he describes his experience at Christiansburg Institute and Virginia Union; his first job with the Imperial Redding Company in Christiansburg, where he was instrumental in establishing a union; his work with the Neighborhood Youth Corps; and his civil rights activism. In 2015, Rev. Wright retired from First Baptist Church Gainsboro in Roanoke after serving as its pastor for 42 years.
In Part Two, he describes his experience at Christiansburg Institute and Virginia Union; his first job with the Imperial Redding Company in Christiansburg, where he was instrumental in establishing a union; his work with the Neighborhood Youth Corps; and his civil rights activism. In 2015, Rev. Wright retired from First Baptist Church Gainsboro in Roanoke after serving as its pastor for 42 years.