Vienna in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Lillian Blackwell Challenges Segregation

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 27, 2024

1. Lillian Blackwell Challenges Segregation Marker

Inscription. In 1959, Lillian Blackwell (1911-1996) joined a lawsuit that ultimately removed barriers to desegregation in Fairfax County Public Schools. In 1963, she was one of two African American women who filed a lawsuit in Federal Court challenging the rights of private theaters to segregate seating and deny admission based on race. Blackwell also led and supported integration in her community by picketing segregated businesses, helping establish the Fairfax County chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, founding with others the Black Women United for Action, and working at Horizons Day Camp, which promoted integrated learning and recreational experiences among children.

Erected 2024 by Fairfax County Student Historical Marker Project, County of Fairfax, Viriginia.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Education • Industry & Commerce • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1959.

Location. 38° 52.69′ N, 77° 16.795′ W. Marker is in Vienna, Virginia, in Fairfax County. It is at the intersection of Sutton Road and

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County Creek Road, on the right when traveling south on Sutton Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2918 Rensselaer Ct, Vienna VA 22181, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Historic Cemeteries (approx. ¾ mile away); George Snyder Trail (approx. 0.8 miles away); First Baptist Church of Vienna (approx. 0.9 miles away); Chain Bridge Road and Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, Virginia (approx. 1.1 miles away); Ira Noel Gabrielson (approx. 1.2 miles away); Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 27, 2024

2. Lillian Blackwell Challenges Segregation Marker

(approx. 1.2 miles away); Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park (approx. 1.2 miles away); City of Fairfax Community Services and Recreation (approx. 1.2 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Peyton Anderson (was approx. one mile away but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 285 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 27, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.