The 2008 presidential race is proof that even more than 50 years since the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, America is still struggling with questions of race and gender and the role they play in our societies.

No matter which candidate takes the role of front-runner for the Democratic Party nomination, Americans will be faced with a ballot of firsts come November -- the first black or first woman with a chance to win the vote for president.

While Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's viability as candidates leave behind significant historical footprints in America, their presence also sparks questions of racial and gender stereotypes, prompting us to look to the past and question how we got to where we are today.

Created from an internal interest and an external need, the Valentine Richmond History Center presents its first of three major exhibits that take an in depth look at more of Richmond's recent history. Starting with the '50s, '60s and '70s, the Valentine opened with "Battle for the City: the Politics of Race 1950s-1970s" on Friday, April 4. The exhibit will run through Jan. 31, 2009.

"We administered a survey last year and found that people knew a lot about the Civil War and Revolutionary era, but not about the 20th century," said Lesley Bruno, director of public relations and marketing for the Valentine.

"So we decided to put together this exhibition, with a focus on the major issues of the day, which were politics, race, integration – and obviously, this was a snapshot of a larger national picture. Race is still a topic of discussion as are political power and transportation."

A major part of the exhibition deals with the demolition of poorer neighborhoods to make way for the controversial highways, namely Interstate 95. These arguments for and against highway construction soon turned into political and socio-economic issues for the city.

Correctly called "Battle for the City," aerial images of highway construction before, during and afterward portray just that.

"If you travel down 95 today, you'll see that it curves and winds, and what it's doing, is avoiding the places that people mobilized to try and save," Bruno said.

"For example, it almost cuts right through Sixth Mount Zion Church in Jackson Ward; it literally goes about 10 feet behind it's back door. There was a movement to save that church; otherwise it would have been demolished."

Most of the images for the exhibition were donated over the years by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and former News Leader. Provocative images of downtown riots after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, the swearing in of Oliver Hill and Richmond residents picketing the U.S. Supreme Court are just a few of the portals to Richmond's past you won't find in the history books.

Artifacts located throughout the exhibition include part of Woolworth's lunch counter, where Virginia Union University students staged a sit-in for desegregation, a seat from Parker Field when it was segregated, two Ku Klux Klan robes and the robe of Judge Merhige, known in Richmond as a progressive and controversial judge who fought to integrate city schools mainly through the bus system.

Comparing Richmond's history from the second half of the 20th century with the issues present in today's society regarding politics, race and even gender, is quite frankly a double edge sword.

"We have to be careful when we compare the two, because in a sense we have come a long way, but I think it's interesting to remind people of how we reached this point," Bruno said.

"We're talking 40 years ago when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated to where we now have our first, true African American presidential contender. To some people, 40 years is a long time, but to other people it's not."

Want to test your own knowledge of Richmond in the 1950s, '60s and '70s? Take the quiz at Iknowrichmond.com and get a sneak peek at the exhibitions content and imagery. Visitors can also receive a coupon for free admission to the exhibit.

• "Battle for the City: the Politics of Race 1950s-1970s" in on exhibition now through Jan. 31, 2009, at the Valentine Richmond History Center on East Clay Street. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for students, seniors and children ages 4-18. Children under age 4 and members of the History Center are free. For more information, call 804-649-0711.