HERE IS THE PROPOSED COLUMN REFERENCING BLACK HISTORY MONTH. IT INCLUDES A PHOTO FROM 1957 OF JOHNSON AND HIS DAUGHTERS. IT WAS AN AP WIREPHOTO — I KNOW THAT PHOTOS ARE NOT PART OF THE COLUMN, BUT I THOUGHT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE THE PHOTO. IT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE RICHMOND NEWS LEADER ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1957 — ALONG WITH A MORE HISTORIC PHOTO, OF WHITE STUDENTS HARASSING A BLACK STUDENT TRYING TO ATTEND THE LITTLE ROCK HIGH SCHOOL.
THE OTHER PIECE I HAVE WRITTEN, ABOUT THE PATRICK HOPE LEGISLATION, COULD PERHAPS WAIT A WEEK OR TWO — THE BILL HASS CROSSED OVER TO THE SENATE, SO THERE MAY BE SOME NEW NEWS ABOUT IT SHORTLY….
On February 2, 1959, Arlington County and the City of Norfolk were the first public school systems in Virginia to desegregate. Arlington likes to pat itself on the back for this distinction, but what some people might not know is that Arlington fought school desegregation to the bitter end.
The lawsuit to desegregate Arlington’s schools was filed by the NAACP on May 17, 1956. The School Board delayed the outcome for years, with motions to dismiss and numerous appeals filed to overturn rulings by the federal district court in Alexandria. In January of 1959 the School Board even filed a last-ditch appeal to the United States Supreme Court. On Saturday, January 30, 1959, a two sentence ruling was issued by Chief Justice Earl Warren, stating that there were no grounds for appeal. The stage was set for February 2nd.
The road to this initial school desegregation in Arlington was a long, complicated journey, with many twists and turns still to come after February 2. There are many heroes in this part of Arlington history. I would like to shine a spotlight on one of those heroes, Dr. Harold Johnson, whose perseverance in the face of many forms of discrimination deserves special mention.
Starting his medical practice in Arlington in the 1940’s, Dr. Johnson was one of the few Black doctors treating patients in the Northern Virginia area. He endured the indignities of segregation with grace and resolve. Though Dr. Johnson was allowed to treat patients at Arlington Hospital, he was unable to have lunch with his fellow doctors in the Whites-only cafeteria at the hospital. Though Dr. Johnson was able to treat patients in a health clinic at the Courthouse, he was unable to use the Whites-only bathroom at the Courthouse.
There are many stories about Dr. Johnson that one could share, but let me provide one story from 1957, highlighting his involvement with school desegregation.
On September 4, 1957, on the first day of school, Dr. Johnson and his two teenage daughters went to Washington-Lee High School, with the intent of enrolling his daughters in the school. Dr. Johnson was told that his daughters could not enroll in the high school, and he was given a “pupil placement form” to fill out. These forms were part of Virginia’s Massive Resistance, used by the schools to deny entry by Black students into the White schools.
When asked by a reporter if he would fill out the forms, Dr. Johnson replied, “I don’t plan to sign them. I’m doing this for the sake of my grandchildren, whomever they may be.”
Dr. Johnson’s daughters were then added as plaintiffs to the ongoing lawsuit, contesting not just the segregation but also the requirement to file the forms which were being used by school boards to deny entry into the White schools.
The Johnsons lived on the 2900 block of North Lexington, in a mostly White neighborhood. Shortly after the news story about their attempt to enroll at Washington-Lee, the Johnsons had to endure the trauma of a burning cross on their front lawn.
Dr. Johnson’s daughters never did get to attend Washington-Lee High School.
