Image credit: Breana Stephens James

Year: 2024

Text: 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.

Tips for Finding This Marker: In front of Booker T. Washington High School, 45 Whitehouse Drive SW, in Atlanta.