LYNN — The Virginia M. Barton Educational Center at Briarcliff installed a plaque honoring its namesake on Tuesday afternoon.

The Educational Center at Briarcliff was officially named after Barton on Nov. 20, in a ceremony where a prototype of the plaque, now hung outside the building’s main entrance at 112 Kernwood Dr., was presented.

In 2024, the building now housing the Barton Center was converted for the Lynn Public School’s special education TEAMS program, which offers support and services for students with disabilities.

Barton, who died in 2010, known for her decades-long service to Lynn, was a civil-rights activist and educator, serving in numerous roles based in the community.

She worked as a neighborhood and education coordinator for Lynn Economic Opportunity for eight years and then spent over 20 years as a Title I parent coordinator with Lynn Public Schools, until her retirement in 1995. Barton was a 1946 graduate of Lynn Classical High School.

Barton also served as president of the North Shore Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, co-chair of Citizens Against Racism, co-founder, president, treasurer, and co-executive director of the Community Minority Cultural Center, and a board member of the Greater Lynn Racial Harmony Committee.