Virtually every issue of The Reflector had a section entitled Society Notes of Charlottesvillians. This section gave the reader an update on the social scene of African-Americans in Charlottesville. There are a few names that consistently appeared in this section of the newspaper. It is hardly coincidental that the people who consistently appeared in this section were members of Charlottesville's black middle class.
In Charlottesville's African-American community of the 1930s, there were quite a few social clubs that hosted social events within the community.
The "Society Notes" section of The Reflectorreported on these social events. Very often, the name of the club was mentioned along with the name of the host or hostess, the members that were present, and if any special activity took place. For example in the Society Notes for February 17, 1934 there is mention of the "Smarter Set" social club. Not only is the hostess mentioned, but the activities that took place are talked about as well.
Above is a picture of the Monday Night Bridge Club.
In our society today, there is a fascination among common people about the lives of the rich and famous.
The same can be said about Charlottesville's African-American community in the 1930s. While the definition of famous might have changed in the past sixty years from local to national in nature, the principle is nevertheless the same.
The Reflector catered to this interest, as certain family names as Coles, Bell, Tonsler, Inge, and Jackson are mentioned in disproportionately large numbers. This suggests that this column was class biased.
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