Staige Davis Blackford Jr. (1931–2003) was an American journalist who subsequently edited the Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR) for nearly three decades.
The elder Blackford's overseas experiences, in conjunction with his medical education in the American North, likely augmented his son's racial sensitivity.
Soon after returning home from military service in 1945, Dr. Blackford pointed out to his son that only southern blacks did not receive the respect granted to other Americans.
We believe the essence of a democratic educational system to consist in allowing equal, unseparated opportunities for all men regardless of their ‘race, color, or creed.'"
Upon hearing of the divisions within Virginia during the Massive Resistance crisis, Blackford ended his government service and resumed his journalistic career.
In 1964, Blackford relocated to Norfolk, where he took a post as chief political reporter for the Virginian-Pilot, which had earned a reputation as the state's most racially progressive white newspaper.