Black leaders respond after hate mail leaves woman in fear

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — On this 20th day of Black history month, Virginia Beach Police have stepped up patrols around Veonca Evans home in the Kempsville section of the city.

Her Black history month decor remains in place, but the family is not. Her three children are staying with relatives, and Evans is six hours away in South Carolina.

For the past six years, Evans has decorated her Kempsville townhome with banners and a montage with photos of historic figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

On the 15th day of Black History month, Evans opened her mail that evening to find a disturbing piece of hate mail that included the N word, the KKK, a word for excrement and a threat.

In a video call from South Carolina, Evans said she cannot fathom who could have committed such a crime against her family.

Regina Mobley: Do you know of anyone who would target you in this manner?

Veonca Evans: No one. I think for me, that’s what makes it more scarier that I have no idea where it’s coming from.

Dr. Eric Majette, the president of the Virginia Beach NAACP and Rev. Gary McCollum, founder of the organizatuon Due the Right Things, are outraged by the crime.

“That’s unacceptable,” Majette said. “I mean, everyone should have the right to express Black History the way they want to express Black History. Residents should be able to be free and feel safe about what they put in their yards, on their doors, how to express Black history in other organization or any other holiday or celebration. We should not have to leave our homes to feel safe.”

“First of all I want thank you to WAVY-TV 10 for showing the story,” McCollum said. “I was disappointed. This is 2024 and we still have to deal with the hate.”

According to the Justice Department, since 2014, hate crimes in America doubled, and more than half the victims are Black. Community leaders in Virginia Beach say that if you see something, say something.

Do come forward, not be silent. Speak out contact in the NAACP. Let us know. Let the authorities know that you’re dealing with these type of issues,” Majette said. “You can’t be silent about it because it is real.

Residents who are victims of hate crimes in Virginia Beach can reach out to the NAACP via email or by phone: 757-550-1850.