August 7, 1989
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. 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.