1) In April of 1951, 16 year old Barbara Johns lead a massive walk out of the Robert R. Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia.
Johns had been frustrated by the inequality of the schools in the small town of Farmville for Black and white residents.

2) The school was built for 180 students but had over 400 children attending classes here. Leaks were common making umbrellas necessary for rainy days in school.

3) Additional structures were built to "accommodate" the overflowing of students, but these were nothing more than tar-paper shacks that the students called "chicken coops".
There was no gymnasium or cafeteria in the school either.

4) From October 1950 until "D-Day" in April the following year, Johns planned the massive walk out, rallying students to her cause.
On the day of the walk out, a student was designated to make up a problem downtown to the get the Principal out of the school.

5) Then a school wide assembly was called, where Johns encouraged the teachers to leave the room so that they could not be punished or held responsible for the students actions.

6) The students would strike for two weeks, and after no changes happened, they reached out to the NAACP for help. The NAACP said they would only provide legal support if they demanded full integration with the white school.

7) After careful consideration the Black students agreed to these terms. A law suit was filed, known has "Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County". This case would eventually become one of the five in the 1954 "Brown v. Board of Education".

8) Shortly after the Brown decision was ruled on, Prince Edward County would close their schools for five years rather than integrate. This move would inspire Governor Orval Faubus in Little Rock in 1958, when the schools here closed for a year.

9) Today, the Moton school is a museum in Farmville, VA where you can visit and learn about these courageous students in this small town.
To learn more about the museum visit: https://motonmuseum.org/ 
To learn more about the Civil Rights Trail visit: https://civilrightstrail.com/ 

10) Photos Courtesy of the Moton Museum.
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