Dorothy Hamm, Civil Rights and Community Activist

Dorothy Hamm, one of the Library of Virginia's 2010 African American Trailblazer's honorees is the subject of this short documentary by her daughter, Carmella Hamm.

Caution: This clip contains material that may be inappropriate for younger viewers.

Dorothy Hamm was a civil rights and community activist in Arlington and Caroline Counties. She and her son, Edward Leslie Hamm Jr., joined a civil action case in 1956 that sought to end segregation in Arlington schools. In 1958, a U.S. District Court judge ordered that four African American children be admitted to the all-white Stratford Junior High School the following year, making it the first white public school in Virginia to admit African Americans students. In the intervening years, Hamm participated in a successful challenge to the Pupil Placement Act, which was designed to delay school integration while giving the appearance of compliance.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Civil Rights
• Segregation
• Integration
• Arlington County
• Stratford Junior High
• Dorothy Hamm
• Pupil Placement Act
• African Americans
• Virginia History
• The Library of Virginia