Bristol, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Dr. Charles Spurgeon Johnson (1893-1956)

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 4, 2024

1. Closeup of Dr. Charles Spurgeon Johnson (1893-1956) Marker

Inscription. Charles S. Johnson, sociologist, author, and civil rights leader, was born in Bristol, son of a 42-year pastor of Lee Street Baptist Church. He attended Virginia Union University and the University of Chicago and served in combat during World War I. A scholar of race relations, he was the primary author of a seminal analysis of the Chicago race riots of 1919. He became the first director of research at the National Urban League and was a driving force behind the Harlem Renaissance as editor of Opportunity magazine. At Fisk University, Johnson led the social sciences department, published widely, and established annual Race Relations Institutes. In 1947 he became Fisk's first Black president.

Erected 2021 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-166.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Communications • Education. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1947.

Location. 36° 35.822′ N, 82° 10.893′ W. Marker is

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in Bristol, Virginia. It is on Lee Street north of Cumberland Street (Virginia Route 113), on the left when traveling north. Marker is in Cumberland Square Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 Lee St, Bristol VA 24201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Tri-Cities Area,

in Southwest Virginia,

and in the Blue Ridge Highlands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. 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: Lee Street Baptist Church (here, next to this marker); Founding of Goodson-Bristol Virginia (within shouting distance of this marker); You Are Not Forgotten (within shouting distance of this marker); The Crooked Road / Bristol

Dr. Charles Spurgeon Johnson (1893-1956) Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 23, 2022

2. Dr. Charles Spurgeon Johnson (1893-1956) Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Bristol Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Overmountain Patriots of the American Revolution (within shouting distance of this marker); Bristol Confederate Soldier Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Tribute to Sgt. Carl Lee Powers, A Korean War Veteran (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bristol.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Crooked Road / Bristol (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Charles S. Johnson. Wikipedia entry on the academic, author and civil rights activist, who considered himself a "sideline activist" who preferred to work collaboratively with Southern liberal white groups to get practical results. (Submitted on November 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Dr. Charles S. Johnson (1893-1956) image. Click for full size.

Gordon Parks via Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division (Public Domain), circa 1940

3. Dr. Charles S. Johnson (1893-1956)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 597 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 6, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. 2, 3. submitted on November 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.