African American Historical Marker Ideas Wanted In Fairfax County

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — As Fairfax County partners seek to recognize more local Black and African American history, K-12 students are invited to participate in a historical marker project to propose ideas for historical markers.

The historical marker project, a collaboration between the Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County Public Schools, and the Fairfax County History Commission and Neighborhood and Community Services, seeks to recognize and preserve the county's Black and African American history. All K-12 students (public, private and homeschooled) can submit topics for new historical markers. Ideas for historical markers will be accepted online through March 31, 2022. Some submissions may be chosen to be installed as historical markers in Fairfax County.

The inaugural historical marker project will initially focus on Black and African American events, people or locations of historic significance, similar to the statewide Black History Month Historical Marker Contest launched in 2020.

"The project’s purpose is to reveal narratives and oral histories of Fairfax County’s African American communities, whose rich history, culture, and accomplishments are underrepresented in history books and not fully understood in relation to the county’s transformation over time," states a news release from the county.

Fairfax County Public Schools will participate by providing resources for grades 4 to 12 to research untold Black and African American stories. Anyone participating in the project can use resources from FCPS, the Fairfax County History Commission, Fairfax County Public Library, and Gum Springs Museum. Residents can also view a map of current Fairfax County historical markers.

The Fairfax County History Commission is preparing to launch a Fairfax County African American History Inventory online. Once available, the inventory will include physical sites, collections, digital resources, oral histories, church and school histories, historical roadside markers, family or private records and objects.

As the project gets underway, Fairfax County's Neighborhood and Community Services is also seeking stories on Black/African American experiences from current or former Fairfax County residents. These stories will help inform a racial timeline for Fairfax County and support project-based learning opportunities at FCPS. Topics may include family, community, faith community, cultural, educational, justice, innovation or housing experiences. Stories may be submitted online. Residents may also request an appointment to record stories in person at Neighborhood and Community Services by emailing CollectingStories@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Fairfax County's historical marker program dates back to 1998. To date, there are 53 historical markers honoring people, places, or events of regional, statewide, or national significance in Fairfax County. Ten of these are from African American communities: Bethlehem Baptist Church, Carrolltown, Cartersville Baptist Church, David R. Pinn Community Center, Laurel Grove Colored School and Church, Luther P. Jackson High School, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Odrick's Corner, The Pines, and Shiloh Baptist Church.

In addition to the county historical markers, there are 73 records of state historical highway markers in Fairfax County, according to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources database. Historical markers associated with African American history include Ona Judge, Woodlawn Methodist Church, Woodlawn Cultural Landscape Historic District, and Gum Springs. The historical marker honoring Ona Judge, a woman born into slavery at Mount Vernon and who escaped from the Washingtons, was unveiled on Juneteenth 2021 in front of the Mount Vernon estate.