Richmonders remember longtime Valentine director Bill Martin after his tragic death

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmonders are mourning the sudden death of the Valentine's director, William "Bill" Martin. The 71-year-old was hit and killed while crossing the street in Richmond over the weekend.

On Monday, Dec. 29, flowers could be seen lying on a median at the intersection of East Broad and North 10th streets, where the Richmond Police Department says Martin was struck. It happened around 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 27.

According to police, a driver made a left turn from North 10th Street and hit Martin while he was in the crosswalk on East Broad Street. Martin was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries the next day.

The tragedy happened just blocks away from the Valentine, a beloved city museum, where Martin served as the director for 32 years. The Valentine said Martin's leadership helped to shape the museum and that it's working to carry his mission forward.

In the hours after his passing, residents, leaders, and loved ones flooded social media with an outpouring of tributes to Martin.

In a post on Facebook, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula called him a Richmond icon and historian.

Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger also shared a post on Facebook, saying, in part: "He exemplified the best of Virginia — developing a deep knowledge of our past and determining how it can inform our future."

Among those who shared memories of Martin was his friend of over a decade, Free Yannoh Bangura. Bangura is the founder of Untold RVA, an organization focused on uncovering Richmond's black history.

Bangura said Martin was the one who encouraged and empowered her to establish her organization.

"He was the type of person where his relationships with people were very private, but still, he would give you a public platform to stand on," Bangura said.

She said Martin made it his mission to amplify and support underserved voices in the community.

"The arts and music and movement and culture, dance, visual -- all kinds of things, came together because he created a place for us to do them," Bangura said. "Where no one was left out in terms of the provisions that they would need to contribute to the 'stone soup' that we were cooking together in the city."

Bangura said she hopes others will be inspired to continue uplifting other community voices.

"Don't be afraid to be the only one saying that this person has a POV [point of view] that needs to be amplified," Bangura said. "Don't be afraid just because it doesn't happen to be popular yet. Who knows, [there] could be 4,000 people ready to be able to follow suit, but it only takes one person to say 'Yes.'"

The Valentine said opportunities to honor Martin's memory will be shared when appropriate.

Police said the driver of the vehicle that hit Martin stayed at the scene. Charges are pending