Joan Cooper, left receiving the award from Thelma Hill, right, of the Arlington branch of the NAACP NOVA
On this day in Arlington history, October 19, 2013, Joan Cooper is awarded the William Brittain Jr. Community Appreciation Award by the Arlington branch of the NAACP. Joan, an Arlington civic activist and community leader, fought for those in need across the area on issues ranging from public safety to education.
Joan was born on October 25, 1941 in Freedman’s Hospital in DC and raised in Arlington’s Nauck community. She grew up experiencing segregation in housing, education, and employment and was determined to make a difference for herself and her community. She became involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s by being a part of the Congress of Racial Equality and the Action Coordinating Committee to End Segregation in the Suburbs. She volunteered with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Mississippi.
As a civilian employee of the Arlington County Police Department, she worked to support fair housing, help clean out drug dealers and provide positive outlets for young people. Seeing a need in her own neighborhood, Joan founded the Parent Family Support Group which started Arlington County’s first drug patrol, the Crack Down on Drugs Patrol. With the help of the Arlington Police Department this program successfully helped curb drug trafficking in Arlington.
“Concern for youth of the community was her primary focus, especially those involved with drug use,” noted the Arlington Community Foundation, which maintains a fund in Cooper’s name to support a variety of community-improvement projects. Joan served on or chaired nearly three dozen community service organizations. “Joan was an Arlington treasure,” County Board Chairman Jay Fisette. “She made everyone around her feel good, and she made a lasting difference to her family and her community.” She died in 2014.
