Pearl Fu and Lucy Addison have long been considered important female leaders in Roanoke. Now, that distinction has gone statewide.

The Library of Virginia included them in its 2011 list of "Virginia Women in History," which recognizes women's accomplishments during the congressionally sanctioned National Women's History Month in March.

Fu, one of three living women on this year's eight-person list, is commonly referred to as Roanoke's cultural ambassador. Best known for directing the annual Local Colors international festival, Fu has long supported the city's civic and artistic endeavors since moving here in 1986.

According to the library's website, Fu, who steadfastly refuses to reveal her age, is recognized as a civic leader who "celebrates the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Roanoke area" by directing Local Colors.

When she learned of the honor, "I thought, 'Do they have the right woman?' " Fu said from her office, where she was finalizing the details for this weekend's Chinese New Year celebration. "This isn't an award for me. It's for all the people who work to make Local Colors happen. We have hundreds and hundreds of volunteers. I'm just out there promoting Roanoke."

Addison, who died in 1937, taught black Roanokers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when even her older students could not read or write. She was the first principal of Harrison School, Southwest Virginia's first public high school for blacks. Lucy Addison High School opened in 1927 and still operates as a middle school.

Addison is recognized as a "pioneering educator, [who] developed the first accredited high school for Roanoke's African American community."

The Virginia Women in History program began in 2000 and has been sponsored by the Library of Virginia since 2006. Other Southwest Virginia women who have been honored in the past decade include author Sharyn McCrumb, musician Maybelle Carter and former Virginia Attorney General Mary Sue Terry.

A traveling exhibit, a dinner and a poster will be part of the activities that recognize this year's honorees.