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 Markersto 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.