VA HJR124

Joint resolution honoring Edith Marie Kearney Heard, known as "Cookie," who died on February 6, 2025, recognizing her contributions to worker's rights and the African American community in Williamsburg

Broke barriers as one of the first Black employees in Colonial Williamsburg's accounting office, serving as night auditor and supervisor

Helped establish the Colonial Williamsburg Food and Beverage Workers Union in the late 1960s and served as vice president after it merged with Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union Local 32

Earned a bachelor's degree in history with a minor in secondary education from Christopher Newport University in 1989 at age 44, later serving as a substitute teacher

Contributed to The Lemon Project at William & Mary and helped create the Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved on campus, while serving on the Descendant Advisory Board of The Local Black Histories Project