Edith Younger Edmunds was at home in Halifax County, the same place she has lived for a century, when her daughter walked into the room on Friday with unexpected news.

Amy Edmunds told her mother she had seen a video on Facebook showing U.S. Rep. John McGuire honoring her two days earlier on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, about 160 miles away, for Black History Month. 

The 100-year-old quilt artist and storyteller had not known it was happening. 

“At first, I was surprised,” Edith Younger Edmunds said in a phone interview on Monday. “But now, I realized this was not about me, it was about McGuire. It was about him telling my story, his way, on his time. If it were about me, I would have been invited into the process. That’s all I have to say about it.” 

The Facebook post Amy Edmunds saw — which has since been removed — showed McGuire, a Republican from Goochland County who represents Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, recognizing Edith Younger Edmunds during a House floor speech. 

The congressman praised her lifelong quilting work and her efforts to preserve Black history through patterns associated with the Underground Railroad. 

Edmunds was recognized Feb. 4, just days into Black History Month, McGuire said, because of her decadeslong work using quilts to educate others about the hidden codes enslaved people are believed to have used to navigate their escape to freedom. 

But neither Edmunds nor her family said they were contacted in advance or asked for permission to use her name, story or image. 

“A friend of a friend of the family sent me the Facebook post, and I played it a couple of times myself, because I was trying to figure out what was going on,” Amy Edmunds said. “I told Mom later that day because other people that we know from Facebook started sending her messages of congratulations. And we weren’t feeling very celebratory about it.” 

In his speech, McGuire said he was “honored to recognize Edith Younger Edmunds of Halifax County, an artist who uses her quilts to celebrate African American history.” 

At 100 years old, he said, “Edmunds is still making quilts, a passion she discovered at the young age of 7, and is still using the same sewing machine she had since 1954. Her quilts go beyond artistic talent. Each stitch reflects the coded patterns enslaved people used to navigate the Underground Railroad, preserving the powerful stories of America’s past.” 

He also referenced Edmunds’ books, “Secret Stitches: Underground Railroad Quilt Activity Book for Children and Adults” and “Sacred Stitches,” saying they educate future generations about the role quilts played during the Civil War and the fight for emancipation. 

“Today, she and her daughter, Amy Edmunds, continue this work together,” McGuire said. “I am honored to represent such a talented constituent who is dedicated to keeping our history alive one stitch at a time.” 

For Edmunds, the words landed differently once she learned of the circumstances under which they had been delivered. In a statement released Monday morning, she emphasized that she had never met McGuire or supported his political ambitions, and said neither he nor his staff contacted her before using her name, story or copyrighted image. 

“My work is inherently grounded in my cultural history; it is not a token to be spent for political capital during Black History Month,” she wrote. “This matters to me as someone who has spent a lifetime safeguarding truth, dignity, and community trust.” 

Edmunds acknowledged that some people might see the recognition as flattering. But she did not. 

“Recognition given without consent is not an honor; it is an appropriation,” she wrote. “It risks misleading the public into believing there is a relationship, endorsement, or shared purpose where none exists.” 

At 100 years old, she added, she no longer believes silence is the right response. 

“Therefore, I write to reject McGuire’s accolades that cloak his exploitation of my reputation within my beloved, lifelong community,” she wrote. “Public trust depends on transparency, consent, and respect — especially from those who purport to represent us.” 

Edith Younger Edmunds’ life has been rooted in Halifax County and shaped by creativity, care and community. She learned to sew at age 7 on a pedal-powered treadle machine using scraps of fabric. In the early 1950s, she purchased the sewing machine she still uses today while working as a licensed cosmetologist. 

For decades, she used it to make custom clothing, curtains and even a debutante gown while raising a family and helping neighbors. 

About 50 years ago, after reading a magazine article about secret codes embedded in quilts used along the Underground Railroad, she began recreating the patterns herself. 

Both of Edmunds’ grandfathers were born into slavery in Halifax County and were still children when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The details of how they learned they were free were never passed down, she said, but she often thinks about them while sewing. 

Her work eventually became a way to pass that history on to younger generations, particularly through her “Secret Stitches” book. 

Amy Edmunds said the family initially tried to assume the situation was a misunderstanding. 

“We wanted to be positive and said, maybe this was something that just happened all of a sudden, even though in our heart of hearts we weren’t believing that,” she said Monday. 

“But still, we were saying, someone from his office would have reached out to us, like the next day or something, to acknowledge that this had happened, and we still haven’t heard from anyone. And it’ll be a week tomorrow.” 

She said the issue, for them, is not recognition itself but the lack of consent and communication. 

“In the absence of communication, it seems to us that he violated the use of a photograph without permission, and he was retelling someone’s story without their permission. It’s a violation of the public’s trust,” she added. 

In an email on Monday, McGuire said the video on his Facebook page had been removed due to Edmunds’ displeasure. 

“Virginia’s Fifth District is made up of remarkable people and stories that play a role in making the commonwealth so special,” McGuire wrote. “I love all my constituents whether they agree with my politics or not. I consider it an honor to recognize their hard work and sacrifice.” 

He said the goal was “simply to recognize this amazing constituent for her efforts” and that he wished her well. McGuire also referenced his military service, writing that as a Navy SEAL veteran he served all Americans regardless of race, party, religion or creed. 

Edmunds said the moment has reinforced her belief in civic participation — and in speaking plainly. 

Asked what message she has for fellow residents of Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, she did not hesitate. 

“They need to vote,” she said. “That’s all I can say.” 

This story originally appeared on VirginiaMercury.com