Dale City in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Courageous Four
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 24, 2022
1. The Courageous Four Marker
Inscription.
The Courageous Four. . In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. Many school systems resisted integration. Nearly ten years later many Virginia schools remained segregated. In 1964 the Prince William County School Board took steps to begin integrating the school system. Before any students were moved from different schools, four Black teachers, Zella Brown, Maxine Coleman, Fennie Fitzgerald, and Mary Porter, were relocated from Washington-Reid, Antioch-McCrae, and Jennie Dean Elementary Schools to four formerly White schools. Two of the "Courageous Four" have county schools named in their honor. Mary G. Porter Traditional School opened in 2004, and Fannie W. Fitzgerald Elementary opened in 2008.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. Many school systems resisted integration. Nearly ten years later many Virginia schools remained segregated. In 1964 the Prince William County School Board took steps to begin integrating the school system. Before any students were moved from different schools, four Black teachers, Zella Brown, Maxine Coleman, Fennie Fitzgerald, and Mary Porter, were relocated from Washington-Reid, Antioch-McCrae, and Jennie Dean Elementary Schools to four formerly White schools. Two of the "Courageous Four" have county schools named in their honor. Mary G. Porter Traditional School opened in 2004, and Fannie W. Fitzgerald Elementary opened in 2008.
Erected 2021 by Prince William County Historical Commission.
Marker is in Dale City, Virginia, in Prince William County. It can be reached from Benita Fitzgerald Drive 0.1 miles south of Broker Lane, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15500 Benita Fitzgerald Dr, Woodbridge VA 22193, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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 markers no longer nearby. Events Along Neabsco Creek (was approx. 1.1 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Leesylvania (was approx. 1.1 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on September 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 804 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 24, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
