RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares unveiled a new portrait and memorial exhibit Wednesday at his office honoring civil rights icon Barbara Johns.
Johns was just 16 years old when she made history as a civil rights leader in Prince Edward County. She led a student walkout on April 23, 1951 protesting conditions at the all-Black Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville.
Her persistence ultimately garnered the support of NAACP lawyers Spottswood Robinson and Oliver Hill to take up her cause and meet with the students and community, according to the Moton Museum.
The lawyers filed suit at the federal courthouse in Richmond. The case was called Davis v. Prince Edward and, in 1954, the case became one of five cases that the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka when it declared segregation unconstitutional.
The Johns family - and Governor Glenn Youngkin were there for the unveiling.
Today, we celebrated the namesake of our office building and the legacy of Barbara Johns, a brave 16 year old girl who exemplified the power of one.
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) February 15, 2023
I was honored to be joined by Barbara’s family at her permanent exhibit’s dedication in our building’s lobby. #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/AELNzUCUNZ
An effort is underway to place a statue of Johnsat the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall as early as next year.
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