Retired Colonel Ulysses “Xerk” White, the trailblazing first African American member of the Manassas City Council, was publicly honored and celebrated during the City of Manassas’ Black History Month proclamation on February 9, 2026.
At 95 years old, White joined the podium at the invitation of council members during the ceremony, where Mayor Michelle Davis Younger read the proclamation recognizing February as Black History Month and highlighting the enduring contributions of African Americans to the city, the Commonwealth, and the nation.
White was called forward alongside the three individuals specifically named in the proclamation—Malcolm Ames of Ames Funeral Home, Jacqueline Knight of Sweet Pearlz Cheesecakes, and Eugene Brown, a longtime community advocate for veterans, the elderly, and underserved youth. A warm family moment unfolded when Brown revealed that White is his cousin, prompting applause, photos, and shared reflections on Manassas’ Black history.
White spoke briefly, recalling historic Black-owned businesses on Center Street and Battle Street—Roy’s Shoe Shop, New Method Cleaners, Moore’s Barber Shop, Buck Cannon’s key-and-barber shop, and the Brown family blacksmith shop—and tying those legacies to his own journey, including his time at Osbourn High School.
A Personal Connection: White Officiated Our Wedding
White’s presence at the council meeting was especially meaningful to me personally. White married my wife Jocelyn and me in 2011. We stood in his living room and exchanged our vows for the first time. He was gracious enough to come back a few months later to do it all over again in front of our friends and family. Each time, he was gracious, thoughtful, and a gentleman.
The government contract I was working on was ending, and Potomac Local News was about a year old. I was ready to make a full-time go of it, but I needed health benefits. My wife, being the thoughtful, caring person I decided I couldn’t live without for many reasons, agreed to marry a few months early so I would qualify for benefits under her employer.
After we said “I do,” White pointed to a painting on his wall above the fireplace—of him and his wife, to whom he was married for more than 50 years. He challenged us to make it 50 plus one.
How I First Met Colonel White
I discovered White by happenstance. Years before our wedding, I was visiting a friend who showed me photos from his coworker’s recent wedding in Manassas. White was the officiant, and there in the pictures was that same portrait of White and his wife above the fireplace.
At the time I was working at the News & Messenger—the old Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger—and I tracked down the man who was allowing couples to marry in his living room. White invited me in and talked for an hour about his love for the city, his time on council, his neighbors, and above all, his love for his wife. She was ill at the time of our interview and has since passed away, but he challenged every couple he wed to stay together one year longer than he and his wife had.
White told me he began performing ceremonies at home after the Prince William County Courthouse temporarily suspended civil union ceremonies. He stepped in with warmth and dignity, turning his living room into a quiet sanctuary for vows that mattered.
A Lasting Challenge
Looking back now, especially after seeing him honored again this month at age 95, I’m grateful for the role he played in our story. He didn’t just officiate two ceremonies—he gave us a living example of commitment, the kind that lasts. Jocelyn and I are still working toward that 50-plus-one.
