Anita Price, who attended two Historical Black Colleges and Universities, has been honored by Roanoke College, which is not an HBCU. Price, who attended Hampton University and graduated from Morgan State, has received the Helen C. Hanes Friend of Education Award, given at the Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute for Teaching and Learning at Roanoke College.

It is an award given every two years to a person “whose life and work reflect the ideals of the life of Helen Hanes,” who founded the institute, which concentrated on professional development.

Price, who has a master’s degree in guidance counseling from Virginia Tech, was a public educator for 35 years, a teacher and school counselor, much of that in Roanoke City Schools. She has been a Roanoke City Council member and has been involved in a number of public and private organizations.

“Mrs. Price genuinely cares and powerfully advocates for youth and families in our community,” Copenhaver Institute co-director Leslie Murrill says. “She is a blessing to many. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to honor her.” 

Price was elected in 2008 as the first African-American woman to serve on Roanoke City Council and in 2016 became the first female African-American vice mayor. After completing her term of office in 2020 she was called upon recently to serve by filling a vacant position when a councilman resigned after being accused of a felony. 

Price has worked with several organizations to reinstate the City of Roanoke’s Youth Services Citizen’s Board, which has successfully sponsored an Annual Youth Summit. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Drum Major for Justice Award, NAACP’s Lifetime Achievement Award and High Street Baptist Church’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award.