2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 27
Celebrating the life of the Reverend Dr. Joe Billy Fleming.
Agreed to by the Senate, January 29, 2026
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Joe Billy Fleming of Portsmouth, a spiritual leader who guided church communities throughout the Commonwealth and touched countless lives through his commitment to servant leadership, died on April 15, 2025; and
WHEREAS, a native of Holdenville, Oklahoma, Joe Billy Fleming graduated from the former Bishop College in Texas, where he joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, in the early 1960s, he participated in efforts to desegregate public facilities in Marshall, Texas, and was arrested during a sit-in; his experiences with the civil rights movement shaped his lifelong commitment to community organizing and service to others; and
WHEREAS, Joe Billy Fleming continued his education at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union University in Richmond, the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, and the Boston University School of Theology; and
WHEREAS, Joe Billy Fleming began his journey as minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Mathews County, where he served as pastor from 1964 to 1969; under his leadership, the church paid off its mortgage, completed significant renovations to better serve the congregation, and hired a minister of Christian education; and
WHEREAS, Joe Billy Fleming next served as pastor of Quioccasin Baptist Church in Richmond from 1969 to 1981; he simultaneously offered his leadership to the Richmond Community Action Program, the Baptist Ministers Conference of Richmond & Vicinity, Meals on Wheels, the American Red Cross, the Henrico County Branch of the NAACP, and other important social programs; and