Janice Canaday

Photo Courtesy: Janice Canaday

Mrs. Janice Canaday

Mrs. Janice Canaday was born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia and attended Williamsburg James City County Public Schools. She has raised six children and attends First Baptist Church on Scotland Street where she is a member of the trustee board. Mrs. Canaday presently works for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as a museum educator and interpreter and is Supervisor of Interpretation for the Peyton Randolph House.

In this video, Mrs. Janice Canaday, a member of The Local Black Histories Project's Community Advisory Board, explains the importance of sharing local Black histories.

Interview with Mrs. Janice Canaday | Conducted by Röy Petersen, W&M Studio for Teaching and Learning | October 22, 2021 | The Village Initiative Collection

In this oral history, Mrs. Janice Canaday shares memories of her family, community life, and Black businesses in Williamsburg.

Interview with Mrs. Janice Canaday | Conducted by Rainah Ward l July 3, 2021 | The Village Initiative Collection

Mrs. Janice Canaday participated in a community forum hosted by The Village Initiative on September 21, 2019, titled Integration: Then and Now. The forum marked the 50th anniversary of school integration in the WJCC School District. The multi-generational set of panelists - Ms. Edith "Cookie" Heard, Mrs. Sylvia Willis, Mrs. Janice Canaday, Mr. Philip Canady, and Ms. Xavia Carter - were asked to reflect on the experiences of integration and its continuing implications for future generations.

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Oral History Panel

Mrs. Canaday also participated in a series of panel discussions at William & Mary on March 15 and April 28, 2021 and offered these reflections on school integration and the racial climate in Williamsburg during the Civil Rights era.

School Integration: From Bruton Heights to Matthew Whaley

Mrs. Canaday recalls the important role that the Bruton Heights School played as a community center during segregation.

Mrs. Canaday reflects on the level of resources that were available at the Bruton Heights School.

Mrs. Janice Canaday discusses the curriculum at the segregated Bruton Heights School.

Mrs. Canaday discusses her experiences during the early years of school integration.

Mrs. Canaday describes the affirming experience she had as a student at the Bruton Heights School during segregation compared to a more isolating experience in the integrated schools.

Mrs. Canaday discusses the different experiences students had in the early years of integration. Her older brothers and some friends in high school experienced more conflict and violence. While Mrs. Canaday still experienced limits on her friendships with white children, she had some white teachers who supported her.

Mrs. Canaday reflects on the complicated legacy of integration. Some things were gained but other things were lost.

Mrs. Canaday discusses the double standard she saw in how students of color were disciplined compared to white students when her children attended the Williamsburg-James City County Schools in the 1980s and 1990s.

Mrs. Canaday emphasizes the importance of teachers building relationships with their students and discusses difficult relationships, particularly with men teachers, when her son was in high school.

Mrs. Canaday discusses how she had to learn about Black history outside of school, as did her children. However, her children had opportunities to learn about Black history deeply through their interactions with Black interpreters and their work as young interpreters at Colonial Williamsburg. As students and later as adults, they have brought this history back to the schools and community.

The Racial Climate in Williamsburg during the Civil Rights Era

Mrs. Canaday remembers the ways her mother stood up to the racism she encountered in white stores around the late 1960s.

Mrs. Canaday remembers her brother marrying a white woman around the 1970s and her mother fearing he would be killed, causing him to move away from Williamsburg.

Mrs. Canaday discusses the different responses Black community members had to racism during the Civil Rights era but also in other time periods. Some challenged it head on while others tried to survive and make a way for their family.

Mrs. Canaday discusses family members whose experiences working at Colonial Williamsburg were not positive. Her sister, who lived in a Black neighborhood, reported not experiencing too much racism until she went to work at Colonial Williamsburg.

Mrs. Canaday reflects on the important work her sister performed in housekeeping at Colonial Williamsburg and the ways that such jobs are undervalued.

Mrs. Canaday reflects on the forces that contributed to the loss of Black businesses in downtown Williamsburg.

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