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 visit to the White House on February 18, 2016 to celebrate the annual Black History Month, as a video of her dancing with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama went viral on social media.

Virginia McLaurin
McLaurin on February 18, 2016, then aged 106, taken in the Blue Room, during her visit to The White House, upon greeting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
Born (1909-03-12) March 12, 1909
Cheraw, South Carolina, United States[1]
OccupationCommunity volunteer, activist
Children2
Awards(A) Community Volunteer Service Award (awarded by Mayor Vincent C. Gray 2013
(B) President's Volunteer Service Award (awarded 2016)

Early life

Virginia McLaurin was born in Cheraw, South Carolina[1] on March 12, 1909[2] (although some records have given 1917[3]). According to McLaurin, she "was birthed by a midwife and the birthday put in a Bible somewhere."[4] In her childhood, she worked in the fields with her parents, shucking corn and picking cotton.[5] She grew up during the Jim Crow era where racial segregation was rampant throughout the 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.[5] Widowed when her husband was killed in a bar fight, she moved to Washington D.C. to be closer to her sister in 1939.[5]

Career

She worked as a seamstress,[2] as a domestic helper for families in Silver Spring, Maryland, and managed a laundry shop.[5]

Since the early 1980s, she has volunteered forty hours a week at Roots Public Charter School through the Foster Grandparent Program.[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 Virginia 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.[11] She would later say in interviews that she never felt that she would ever live to visit the White House,[11] 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][11]

Shortly after she had the meeting with Michelle and Barack Obama, the video of her dancing with the two went viral online.[5] According to the local press, she has since been referred to as D.C.'s favorite centenarian and Grandma Virginia.[11]

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.[12]

Personal life and longevity

In March 2019, McLaurin turned 110, becoming a supercentenarian.[11] She celebrated her previous birthdays from ages 106 to 109 with her favorite basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters.[13][14]

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.[4]

She had two children with her late husband: a daughter and a son. While the former is alive at 87 years old, her son has since died.[5] Despite this, she estimates she has about 50 living descendants. According to The Independent, "[h]er grandkids' grandchild has a baby."[5]

References
  1. "D.C.'s Virginia McLaurin is celebrating her 111th birthday".
  2. 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.
  3. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:235P-NYP
  4. Milloy, Courtland (April 23, 2016). "Obama's dance partner is persona non grata in D.C. government". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  5. Itkowitz, Colby (February 23, 2016). "Virginia McLaurin: Dancing 106-year-old describes moment she met President Obama". The Independent. Retrieved August 10, 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. 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.
  12. "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.
  13. Pearl, Diana. "Virginia McLaurin, Who Danced with the Obamas, Celebrates Her 108th Birthday with the Harlem Globetrotters". People.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  14. 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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