A statue of Barbara Rose Johns, a figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, replacing a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Johns was 16 years old in 1951 when she organized a student walkout at the segregated Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia.
The protest sought to address the school's overcrowded conditions and its facilities, which were inferior to those of the town's white high school. This student action subsequently led to a lawsuit supported by the NAACP, which became one of the five cases reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. The 1954 ruling in this case declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Statue and Historical Context
Johns' bronze statue is situated in Emancipation Hall within the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Each U.S. state is represented by two statues in the Capitol. For over a century, Virginia's representatives included George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Lee's statue was removed from the Capitol in December 2020 following a request from then-Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. This removal occurred during a period that saw the removal of numerous Confederate symbols across the U.S.
In the same month, Virginia's Commission on Historical Statues in the United States Capitol unanimously selected Barbara Johns to replace Lee. Johns, who died in 1991, was chosen from a list of candidates that included Pocahontas and Maggie Lena Walker. The 11-foot statue, created by Maryland artist Steven Weitzman, depicts a teenage Johns at a podium, holding a book. Its pedestal is inscribed with the words: "Are we going to just accept these conditions, or are we going to do something about it?"
The 1951 Walkout and Its Aftermath
Barbara Johns was born in New York City in March 1935 and later moved to Prince Edward County, Virginia. She observed the lack of resources at her school, which included classrooms in tar-paper shacks lacking proper plumbing, science laboratories, a cafeteria, and a gymnasium.
After an exchange with a teacher about these conditions, Johns decided to organize a student strike. On April 23, 1951, she gathered approximately 450 students in the auditorium and convinced them to walk out. The strike, which protested school conditions and advocated for a new building, lasted about two weeks and garnered the attention of the NAACP.
NAACP lawyers Spottswood Robinson and Oliver Hill filed a lawsuit, Davis et al. v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia, challenging the constitutionality of segregated education in the county. While the federal court initially sided with the county, it mandated that Black schools be made physically equal to white schools. A new Black Moton High School, referred to as "Moton 2," was constructed in 1953.
The Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954 declared school segregation unconstitutional. However, its enforcement in the U.S., particularly in Virginia, encountered resistance, including the enactment of anti-integration laws known as "Massive Resistance." Prince Edward County schools eventually integrated in 1964, following a five-year closure to avoid desegregation. Moton 2 reopened as Prince Edward County High School.
Later Life and Recognition
Following the walkout, Johns relocated to Alabama for safety reasons to complete her schooling. She attended Spelman College and graduated from Drexel University, subsequently working as a librarian for Philadelphia Public Schools. She married Rev. William Powell and raised five children before her death at age 56.
Johns' contributions have been recognized in Virginia. Her story is a mandatory part of public school curricula. In 2017, the Virginia Attorney General's Offices were renamed in her honor. The Virginia General Assembly designated April 23, the anniversary of the walkout, as Barbara Johns Day statewide in 2018. Johns' sister, Joan Johns Cobbs, has expressed the family's honor regarding the Capitol tribute.
Recent Context for Monument Placement
The decision to place Johns' statue predates some recent developments concerning public monuments. In October, a statue of Confederate General Albert Pike was reinstalled in a Washington D.C. park, five years after its removal by protestors.
Attendees at the statue's unveiling included House Speaker Mike Johnson and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) issued a statement prior to the ceremony, acknowledging Johns' actions at Moton High School.