Celebrating Women's History Month

Jennie Dean, a native of Prince William County who was once enslaved, founded the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth after Emancipation. The school opened in September 1894 with a keynote address by Frederick Douglass. Dean organized a visit for her students to meet President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House. She obtained funding from Andrew Carnegie and Emily Howland for the construction of dormitories and classrooms. She also championed women's rights at a convention in Washington D.C., where she encountered Susan B. Anthony. Eventually, the school evolved into Manassas Regional High School, serving as the sole high school for Black students in the counties of Fairfax, Prince William, Fauquier, Warren, and Rappahannock.

This program is cosponsored by the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy.

About the presenter

Marion Dobbins, a seventh-generation Virginian from Fairfax County, is a historian and ethnographer with extensive experience collaborating with historians at Colonial Williamsburg, Gunston Hall, Sully Historic Site, Colvin Run Mill, and the National Park Service's Manassas Battlefield. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at George Mason University and serves as a Commissioner for the Prince William County Historical Society. Additionally, she is an adviser for the Fairfax County History Commission and a Community Historian for the Center for Mason Legacy at George Mason. Dobbins is active in Living History programming, has lectured for the Fairfax History Commission, and at various historical sites, including Monticello in Charlottesville, VA. Her upcoming book, "The Lost Black Communities of Merrifield, The Pines, and Williamstown," is slated for release in June 2025.

INVITE

This program is appropriate for ages 16 and above. This is an In-person event at City of Fairfax Regional Library, 10360 North St, Fairfax, VA 22030. Register by clicking on the "Begin Registration" button (below).