Luther Jackson Middle School

From Fairfax Underground Wiki

History

Luther Jackson was the first integrated (that is, black and white children) school in Fairfax County.

It is also where the school board meets.

Anecdotal information from people living in Pine Ridge indicates that it may have also been one of the first "separate but equal" (q.v. Plessy v. Ferguson) schools in the area.

Luther Jackson is adjacent to the intersection of Williams Drive and Arlington Boulevard. Williams Drive is most likely named for Seth Williams, an early property owner who built housing for African-Americans in this area.

If you follow Williams Drive through a pedestrian archway that blocks traffic on the South side of Arlington Boulevard, it becomes Highland Lane, which is in the neighborhood of Pine Ridge, adjacent to the old Williams properties. Pine Ridge, developed circa 1940, originally had covenants requiring homeowners to be caucasian.