The lives of six residents of a historic African-American Arlington community were celebrated during Green Valley Day on Saturday (Sept. 19).
“Green Valley Greats” honored the civic legacies of George “Go-Go” Long, Joan Cooper, John Robinson, Leonard “Doc” Muse, Dr. Alfred Taylor and Portia Clark.
Their stories are part of an online series of biographical sketches by Clark, former president of the Green Valley Civic Association and longtime civic activist in the community. The site also gives residents the opportunity to share their own memories of the individuals.
A companion book, “Green Valley Greats: The Lives and Legacies of Arlington’s Oldest African-American Community,” is in production.
“They’re coming,” Clark told ARLnow at the Community Association of Resources, Education, Enrichment & Economics (CARE) booth at Green Valley Day. She founded the organization to support the local and broader community.
In addition to the book, T-shirts emblazoned with the six individuals are available for purchase.
Of the six civic leaders profiled, only Clark is still alive. Her mentor, Taylor, died earlier this year at age 91.
Taylor, a lifelong Green Valley resident, earlier had chronicled the community’s stories in his seminal work, “Bridge Builders of Nauck/Green Valley.”
Muse ran the Green Valley Pharmacy from the 1950s until his death in 2017, while Long, Cooper and Robinson were long active in the local community.
Clark “learned about the community from these Greats, and she is sharing what they taught her with others,” promotional materials for the series noted.
“She does not have the photographic memory that Dr. Taylor had, but she has what he taught her,” the promotional materials added.
Clark also has access to the archives of John Robinson’s community newspaper that chronicled the Green Valley community prior to his death in 2010.
Clark in 2025 received the ARLnow Cup from the Arlington County Civic Federation for her advocacy in the community. At Green Valley Day, she said there are plenty more individuals who deserve profiles, and she plans to work on that.
In addition, “someday I’m going to work on my own memoirs,” she said. “It’s coming.”
