Virginia McLaurin

Virginia McLaurin
McLaurin during her visit to the White House in 2016
Born(1909-03-12)March 12, 1909
Cheraw, South Carolina, U.S.[1]
Died (aged 113 years, 247 days)
Olney, Maryland, U.S.
Other names
  • D.C.'s Favorite Centenarian
  • Grandma Virginia
Occupations
  • Community worker
  • seamstress
  • manager of a laundry
  • farm worker
Known forVideo of her dancing with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at the White House in February 2016
Children2 (1 deceased)
Awards
  • Community Volunteer Service Award (2013)
  • President's Volunteer Service Award (2016)

Virginia McLaurin (March 12, 1909[2] – November 14, 2022) is an American supercentenarian and community volunteer[3] Born in South Carolina, she lived in Washington, D.C., before passing away in Olney, Maryland.

Her husband died in 1939 after a bar fight. She volunteers forty hours a week as a Senior Corps volunteer with the United Planning Organization's Foster Grandparents Program at the Roots Public Charter School. In 2013, McLaurin received a volunteer community service award from Mayor Vincent C. Gray in recognition of her voluntary work.[4]

She gained national attention after a visit to the White House on February 18, 2016 to celebrate Black History Month, after which a video of her dancing with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama went viral on social media.[5]

She celebrated her 108th birthday with the Harlem Globetrotters.[6]

In March 2016, McLaurin received the President's Volunteer Service Award for her work of daily service to schoolchildren in the nation's capital.[7] McLaurin died at her home in Olney, Maryland, on November 14, 2022, at the claimed age of 113 years, 247 days.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "D.C.'s Virginia McLaurin is celebrating her 111th birthday". March 12, 2020.
  2. ↑ Ives, Mike (November 16, 2022). "Virginia McLaurin, Sharecroppers' Daughter Who Danced With the Obamas, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  3. ↑ Maine, D'Arcy (March 15, 2017). "Virginia McLaurin celebrates her 108th birthday with the Harlem Globetrotters". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  4. ↑ Sherwood, Tom (December 17, 2013). "104-year-old Virginia McLaurin honored for volunteering in D.C." WRC-TV. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ Garunay, Melanie (February 22, 2016). "Meet the 106-year-old who got to dance with the President and the First Lady". Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  6. ↑ Pearl, Diana. "Virginia McLaurin, Who Danced with the Obamas, Celebrates Her 108th Birthday with the Harlem Globetrotters". People.com. People. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  7. ↑ Samantha Jo Warfield (2016-03-11). "Internet Sensation, 106-year-old Dancing Grandma Receives President's Lifetime Achievement Award for Service". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  8. ↑ "DC's "Dancing Grandma" Passes at Age 113". WHUR. November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
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