Saker’s Groc. NE 1953

A colored pencil and ink drawing depicts the corner of 4th Street in Northeast Roanoke in 1953. The busy street, lined with cars and large brick buildings, is full of Black Roanokers going about their business. A window sign identifies a grocery store in the foreground as Saker’s Grocery. Roanoke based artist David Ramey Sr. made this drawing from his memories of the area to illustrate a story in his as yet unpublished collection Gainsboro Going into North East.