Atlanta, GA, October 29, 2024—On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) unveiled a new historical marker in Atlanta about Booker T. Washington High School. Dedicated in partnership with The Rich’s Foundation and Atlanta Alumni Association of Booker T. Washington High School, Inc., the marker is the newest addition to GHS’s Georgia Civil Rights Trail. The Booker T. Washington High School historical marker shares the school’s history, including how the school was founded through community efforts one hundred years ago.
“Booker T. Washington High School played a key role in twentieth century Atlanta—and American—history,” said Dr. Stan Deaton, Dr. Elaine B. Andrews Distinguished Historian, Georgia Historical Society. “It created a generation of leaders who were critically important in the Civil Rights Movement, and in American political, economic, and cultural life as well. It’s an institution that is well deserving of a historical marker that will bring this important story to a larger audience.”
Standing in front of the school’s brick, medieval-eclectic style historic building, the Booker T. Washington High School historical marker joins the GHS Georgia Civil Rights Trail. Created ten years ago, the initiative uses Georgia Historical Markers to highlight significant stories about the struggle for civil and human rights from Reconstruction through the late twentieth century. A full list of markers on the trail is available on the GHS website.
"Booker T. Washington High School stands as a beacon of resilience and progress as the first public high school for African Americans in Atlanta,” said John Montag, Chair, The Rich’s Foundation. “Its legacy of empowering students during segregation and producing leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. highlights its pivotal role in shaping both the history of education and the fight for civil rights. We are honored to support the dedication of this historical marker for Booker T. Washington High School."
The school was created during the Jim Crow era through community advocacy and the activism of Black Atlanta voters and taxpayers. In the early 1900s, there were several segregated public primary schools and two public secondary schools for White students only. Atlanta’s Black community, led by the local NAACP chapter and Neighborhood Union, began mobilizing to address the disproportionate opportunities for education. The community’s efforts created political pressure that increased funds for the existing Black schools and resulted in the creation of Booker T. Washington High School, making it Atlanta’s first school for Black students.
"The opening of Booker T. Washington High School marked the first opportunity for Black students in Atlanta to attend a public high school," said Valerie Williams, Booker T. Washington High School Class of 1982, Atlanta Alumni Association of Booker T. Washington High School, Inc. "This legendary institution deserves a place in history, not just in the history of Atlanta or Georgia, but of our country. Throughout its one hundred years, Booker T. Washington High School has produced a distinguished roster of alumni, who have gone on to make profound contributions in the United States. The Atlanta Alumni Association of Booker T. Washington High School is proud to partner with the Georgia Historical Society to commemorate the enduring legacy of Booker T. Washington High School."
The marker dedication took place at Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta. Speakers included Elyse Butler, Manager of Programs and Special Projects, Georgia Historical Society; Joseph Harris, Assistant Principal, Booker T. Washington High School; Pastor Joseph Flint, Senior Pastor, New Hope Baptist Church; Jerol Shanks, Archivist and Library Media Specialist, Booker T. Washington High School; Bryon Amos, District 3, Atlanta City Council; Shelly Goodrum, PK-12 Associate Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools; Alfred “Shivy” Brooks, At Large Seat 7, Atlanta Board of Education; Valerie Williams, President, Atlanta Alumni Association of Booker T. Washington, Inc.; Dr. Erica Washington McDonald, Great-great Granddaughter of Booker T. Washington; Marcie Wynn, Historian, Booker T. Washington High School; and Belle Williams, Class of 2027, Booker T. Washington High School, who read the historical marker text after the unveiling.
The marker text reads:
Booker T. Washington High School
Opening in 1924, Booker T. Washington High School was Atlanta’s first public secondary school for Black students. As with other Southern school systems at the time, the Atlanta Board of Education disproportionately allocated funds toward White schools. The Atlanta Neighborhood Union, a Black-women-led social activism organization, surveyed existing Black schools in 1913, proving them overcrowded, unsanitary, and lacking materials. Led by the local NAACP chapter and Neighborhood Union, the Black community mobilized, registering and voting against education bonds in 1918 and 1919 that did not support Black schools. The pressure produced a referendum that included a Black high school and increased funds for Black schools. Washington was the only secondary school for Black students until 1947 and has produced prominent alumni and educators, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lena Horne, and Dr. Louis Sullivan.
Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, The Rich’s Foundation,
and Atlanta Alumni Association of Booker T. Washington High School, Inc.
For more information about the Booker T. Washington High School historical marker dedication, the Georgia Civil Rights Trail, or the Georgia Historical Society marker program, please contact Elyse Butler, Manager of Programs and Special Projects, at 912.651.2125, ext. 119, or by email at ebutler@georgiahistory.com.
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ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
To learn more visit georgiahistory.com.
ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL MARKER PROGRAM
The Georgia Historical Marker Program is an important part of the Georgia Historical Society’s (GHS) statewide educational mission. Through a public-private partnership with the State of Georgia, GHS is responsible for erecting new historical markers and maintaining more than 2,000 markers installed by the State prior to the program’s privatization in 1998. Online mapping tools allow users to explore themed marker trails and design custom driving routes. Visit georgiahistory.com for more ways to use Georgia’s historical markers and experience history where it happened.
ABOUT THE RICH’S FOUNDATION
The Rich’s Foundation is a private Atlanta, Georgia, foundation whose purpose is to benefit non-profit organizations in the field of arts, civics, education, health, environment, and social welfare in the metropolitan Atlanta area. While the Foundation supports all of these areas, its primary focus has been education and social justice. Established in 1943, the Foundation was created to distribute a share of the profits of Rich’s, Inc., the Atlanta department store. Through the years, the Foundation has been a major supporter of Atlanta’s charitable and educational life.
ABOUT ATLANTA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF BOOKER T. WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, INC.
Atlanta Alumni Association of Booker T. Washington High School, Inc, was established in 2013. The principal purpose of AAABTW is advocacy and to support the students, staff and administration of Booker T. Washington High School, Atlanta, Georgia. The organization is proud of the accomplishments achieved on behalf of Booker T. Washington School and its three feeder schools. Our advocacy is unmatched and has afforded the Washington Cluster access to opportunities that it might not have otherwise received.
ABOUT ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Atlanta Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Georgia, serving nearly 50,000 students across 87 learning sites, including 59 neighborhood schools, 5 partner schools, 19 charter schools, 2 citywide single-gender academies, and 2 alternative programs. To learn more about Atlanta Public Schools, follow us on social media – Twitter (@apsupdate), Facebook (Atlanta Public Schools), and Instagram (apsupdate) – or visit us online at www.atlantapublicschools.us.