Taking Action: Dorothy M. Bigelow Hamm
"[I had to] explain to [my son] that Stratford was for white children and he could not attend because he was a colored boy. I knew then that with the help of others, I had to fight to help change the 'Separate but Equal Laws.'"
Dorothy M. Bigelow Hamm, 2002
A longtime resident of the Halls Hill / High View Park neighborhood, Dorothy M. Bigelow Hamm (1919-2004) worked with other local activists—including her husband, E. Leslie Hamm. Sr.—to end segregation in schools and theaters and to challenge racist voting practices.
As a mother, Hamm simply wanted her three children "to go to the schools closest to their home." When Virginia refused to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), she took action. She and her husband listed their oldest son as a plaintiff in a case against the Arlington School Board that ultimately led to the desegregation of Stratford Junior High in 1959. In 2018, Arlington Public Schools decided to rename this building in her honor.
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In the late 1950s, the Virginia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had 30,000 members, the most of any southern state. Arlington had an especially active group, which included Hamm and
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Dorothy Hamm poses in this 1959 photo with her three children: Edward Leslie, Jr. (left), Bernard (right), and Carmela (center). In addition to her work as an activist, Hamm was a teacher, church leader, and elections officer. She also wrote several plays celebrating African American heritage.
Erected 2021 by Arlington Public Schools, Arlington County Government, and the local community to commemorate the 1959 desegregation event.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 2002.
Location. 38° 53.988′ N, 77° 6.721′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Cherrydale. Marker can be reached from Vacation Lane, 0.1 miles west of Military Road, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4100 Vacation Ln, Arlington VA 22207, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Taking Action: Barbara Johns (within shouting distance of this marker); Take Action! (within shouting distance of this marker); Taking Action: E. Leslie Hamm, Jr. (within shouting distance of this marker); Taking Action: Michael Jones, Gloria Thompson, Ronald Deskins, Lance Newman
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 242 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
