 A federal judge, citing provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, agreed and ordered the city to be divided into single-member districts, or wards, to enable blacks the opportunity to elect representatives of their choice.White flight from the annexed suburban neighborhoods began almost immediately.As residents of the city of Petersburg, their children would be required to attend the Petersburg City Schools, which had become predominately black due to whites sending their children to private schools or moving to suburbs.