The Washington Post
August 7, 1989, Monday, Final Edition
Christopher Stokes, 48, Dies;
Was Fairfax Counselor, Realtor
Christopher Stokes, 48, a youth counselor and Realtor who in
1967 became Fairfax County's first black police officer, died Aug. 4 at Fair
Oaks Hospital. He had sickle cell anemia. He left the Fairfax police in 1973.
Since 1974, he had been a youth counselor with the Fairfax County courts and a
part-time Realtor with Mount Vernon Realty in Fairfax.
Mr. Stokes, who lived in Fairfax, was a Richmond native. He
attended Virginia Commonwealth University and was on the Richmond police force
before moving here in 1967. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he had testified
for federal attorneys against Fairfax County. It was charged that the county
discriminated against blacks and women in its hiring and promotion policies.In
1982, the Justice Department accepted a settlement offer by Fairfax County that
involved the distribution of $ 2.75 million to 685 discrimination victims. Mr.
Stokes was among those who received awards.Mr. Stokes was a member of the
Fraternal Order of Police, the Northern Virginia Board of Realtors and the
Virginia Private Investors Association. He coached youth softball, basketball
and football teams in Fairfax County.