Editing Harrisonburg, Virginia (section)

==== Project R-4 and R-16 ====
A large portion of this Black neighborhood was dismantled in the 1960s when – in the name of [[urban renewal]] – the city government used federal redevelopment funds from the [[Housing Act of 1949]] to force Black families out of their homes and then bulldozed the neighborhood. This effort, called "Project R-4", focused on the city blocks east of Main, north of Gay, west of Broad, and south of Johnson. This area makes up 32.5 acres. "Project R-16" is a smaller tag on project which focused on the 7.5 acres south of Gay Street.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmra.org/post/role-race-and-money-harrisonburgs-urban-renewal|title=The Role of Race and Money in Harrisonburg's 'Urban Renewal'|last=Hagi|first=Randi B.|website=www.wmra.org|date=February 12, 2020 |language=en|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sites.jmu.edu/shenandoahlivingarchive/projects-r4-and-r16-2/|title=projects r-4 and r-16|website=Shenandoah Living Archive Prototype|language=en-US|access-date=April 29, 2020|archive-date=June 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614190634/https://sites.jmu.edu/shenandoahlivingarchive/projects-r4-and-r16-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://valleyblackheritage.org/photos.html|title=Harrisonburg's Urban Renewal Projects, R4 & R16|website=Learn Share Illuminate|language=en|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref>

According to Bob Sullivan, an intern working in the city planner's office in 1958, the city planner at the time, David Clark convinced the city council that Harrisonburg had slums. Newtown, a low socioeconomic status housing area, was declared a slum. Federal law mandated that the city needed to have a referendum on the issue before R-4 could begin. The vote was close with 1,024 votes in favor and 978 against R-4. In 1955, following the vote, the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority was established to carry out the project. All of the group's members were White men. Invoking the power of eminent domain, the government forced people in Newtown to sell their homes.<ref>"A Guide to the Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority Photographs, 1960-1987: SC 0235," Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority Photographs, 1960-1987, SC 0235, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=jmu/vihart00185.xml</ref> Residents were offered payments for their homes far below their true real estate value. Many people could not afford a new home and had to move into public housing projects. Other families left Harrisonburg. It is estimated between 93 and 200 families were displaced.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=http://www.eightyone.info/online/?p=411 |title=''Remembering Project R4'' |publisher=Eightyone.info |access-date=September 30, 2017 |archive-date=January 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116062156/http://www.eightyone.info/online/?p=411 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":1" />

In addition to families, many of the businesses of Newtown that were bought out could not afford to reestablish themselves. Locals say many prominent Black businesses like the Colonnade, which served as a pool hall, dance hall, community center, and tearoom, were unable to reopen.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://public.imaginingamerica.org/journalcontent/2017/4/2/227/index.html|title=Mapping African American Life in Harrisonburg|website=public.imaginingamerica.org|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> Kline's, a White-owned business, was one of the few businesses in the area that was able to reopen. The city later made $500,000 selling the seized property to redevelopers. Before the project, the area brought in $7000 in taxes annually. By 1976, the areas redeveloped in R-4 and R-16 were bringing in $45,000 in annual taxes. These profit gains led Lauren McKinney to regard the project as "one of only two 'profitable' redevelopment schemes in the state of Virginia".<ref name=":1" />

Cultural landmarks were also influenced by the projects. Although later rebuilt, the Old First Baptist Church of Harrisonburg was demolished.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://firstbaptisthbgva.org/pages/Church%20History%20Doc.htm|title=First Baptist History|website=firstbaptisthbgva.org|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> Newtown Cemetery, a Historic African American Cemetery, was also impacted. Although it appears that no burials were destroyed, the western boundary was paved over and several headstones now touch the street.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/115-5129_NewtownCemetery_2014_NRHP_FINAL.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/115-5129_NewtownCemetery_2014_NRHP_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Newtown Cemetery National Register of Historic Places Registration Form|date=December 20, 2014}}</ref><ref name=":3" />