On Monday, May 23rd, Highlands Elementary School was renamed the Joseph E. Johnson Jr. Elementary School after Delaware civil rights leader and the first black principal of a non-segregated school in Delaware, and then the first black superintendent.

Via - In fall 2021 the family of Joseph E. Johnson, Jr., along with former students of Dr. Johnson, friends, and members of the Red Clay community, encouraged the Red Clay school board to approve the renaming of Highlands Elementary School in honor of the civil rights champion, who passed away in 2020.

“Red Clay schools would not be what they are today without Dr. Johnson’s legacy of educational equity for all,” said Dorrell Green, superintendent of Red Clay.

Today is the day! Welcoming our new name, Joseph E. Johnson Jr. Elementary School! 💜

— Miss K. Quinn (@__MissQuinn)

A lifelong educator and Wilmington native, Johnson made Delaware history in 1968 as the first African-American principal of a non-segregated educational institution, P.S. Dupont High School, and later as the first superintendent of the Red Clay Consolidated School District. He was inducted into the Red Clay Hall of Fame in 2016 for his contributions to the Red Clay community, particularly his work in the 1980s to desegregate schools and provide educational equity for all students.

Johnson graduated from Howard High School in 1952 and participated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom before serving on active duty for two years as an officer in the United States Army Surface to Air Missile program. With a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology, a Master’s Degree in School Administration, and a Doctorate of Education Degree, he served as a science teacher, school leader, and personnel director before spending nine years as a superintendent.

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(May 5, 2020) Mayor’s Press Release on the – Snippet:

Born in Wilmington in 1934, Dr. Johnson was a graduate of historic Howard High School and held a B.S. in Biology from Central State University, a master’s in School Administration from Seton Hall University, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts. He was selected by the Rockefeller Foundation to participate in a superintendent’s training program, served two years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Army Surface-to-Air Missile program, and taught science in Montclair, NJ, before returning permanently to his hometown.

Once back in Wilmington, Dr. Johnson began his career in school administration at Warner Junior High School. In 1968 he became principal of P.S. DuPont High School then, after serving as District Director of Personnel, he was appointed Superintendent of the Wilmington Public Schools. Finally, he became the first Superintendent of the Red Clay School District, serving in this capacity for nine years until his retirement in 1990.

Born and raised on Wilmington’s east side, Dr. Johnson was deeply involved in the struggle for civil rights and actively engaged in the important issues of his time. He participated in Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in 1963, and the Million Man March in 1995. Dr. Johnson ably represented the interests of City students and teachers, and articulated requirements for their equitable treatment, during the landmark Evans v. Buchanan desegregation case. And over the years he served as a consultant and valued contact in the many federal cases concerning strategies to desegregate schools and to provide quality education for all students.