2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 119
Commending the John M. Langston School.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 16, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2026
WHEREAS, in 1925, the John M. Langston School was established as the only elementary school for Black children in North Arlington's Hall's Hill neighborhood during segregation and subsequently provided an outstanding education to generations of local students; and
WHEREAS, during the early 20th century, segregated schools in the Commonwealth and across the southern United States failed to provide adequate educational opportunities for Black students, prompting the residents of Hall's Hill in Arlington County to advocate vigorously for the construction of a proper school building for their children; and
WHEREAS, the Langston School was ultimately established with assistance from the Rosenwald Fund, a groundbreaking collaboration between Booker T. Washington and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald that supported the construction of nearly 5,000 schools across the South and educated nearly one-third of the Black students in the United States at the time; and
WHEREAS, the Rosenwald Fund required financial contributions from the local Black community, cooperation from local government, and a commitment from the local school board to operate and maintain the school, demonstrating a unique model of public-private-community partnership; and
WHEREAS, local residents raised $500 to support this effort, and on August 15, 1924, Arlington County opened bids for construction of the Langston School, which officially opened in November 1925; and