Fry's Spring in Charlottesville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

NAACP Civil Rights Victory: Integration of Johnson School, 1962

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021

1. NAACP Civil Rights Victory: Integration of Johnson School, 1962 Marker

Inscription. In 1962, Johnson Elementary School became the third Charlottesville public school to desegregate due to a lawsuit brought by the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Initially, to avoid court-ordered desegregation at Venable Elementary School and Lane High School, those two schools were closed for five months during 1958-59 as part of "massive resistance." Following a modified school reopening in the spring and an additional NAACP court victory in the fall, on September 8, 1959, twelve black students began attending Venable Elementary and Lane High School. However, further integration was minimized, and other city schools remained segregated. To address this, Charlottesville's NAACP President, Eugene Williams, and his wife, Lorraine — herself a teacher in Charlottesville's City Schools — sued to allow their daughters' transfers from all-black Jefferson Elementary into all-white Johnson Elementary. Fifteen other students and their parents were part of the suit, seeking transfers to Venable and Lane. Appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Dillard v. School Board of the City of Charlottesville

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ultimately forced Charlottesville City Schools to stop the discriminatory handing of school transfer requests. Consequently, on October 24, 1962, Johnson Elementary was integrated by Karol and Scheryl Williams and by Michael Lewis and Rosalind Whitlock, whose requests to transfer into Johnson were also approved following the court ruling. Each victory paved the way for greater access to an equal education, and the ruling had significant impact across the state and country. Widespread integration of Charlottesville's schools occurred from 1965-1966, but the work for true racial equality continues.

Erected 2019 by City of Charlottesville, Virginia; Charlottesville City Schools.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. A significant historical date for this entry is September 8, 1959.

Location. 38° 1.37′ N, 78° 30.461′ W. Marker is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is in Fry's Spring. It is on Cherry Avenue 0.1 miles east of Rainier Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1619 Cherry Ave, Charlottesville VA 22903,

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021

2. NAACP Civil Rights Victory: Integration of Johnson School, 1962 Marker

United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 'Burying' Ground (approx. 0.6 miles away); Shadow Catcher (approx. 0.6 miles away); History Underfoot (approx. 0.7 miles away); Charlottesville (approx. 0.7 miles away); Fernando Símon Bolívar (approx. 0.7 miles away); Claude Moore, M.D. (approx. ¾ mile away); Kappa Sigma Fraternity (approx. 0.8 miles away); William Holding Echols (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlottesville.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 777 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.