Stratford Junior High School
On February 2, 1959, Stratford Jr. High became the first racially integrated school in Virginia. The long battle to integrate Virginia's public schools followed the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which held that racially segregated public schools are unconstitutional. The integration of Stratford signaled the end of Virginia's policy of “massive resistance,” which involved closing schools rather than integrating them. The school was built in 1951 in the international architectural style and named for Robert E. Lee's birthplace. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Marker is on North Vacation Lane east of 23rd Street North, on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
