The Moton Museum in Farmville asked me to speak about Barbara Johns. (My biography about Barbara is taught in Virginia schools, and they need lessons for remote learning.)
What! You don't know who Barbara Johns was?
Well, in 1951 . . .
1/
What! You don't know who Barbara Johns was?
Well, in 1951 . . .
1/
. . . when she was 16 years old, Barbara Johns led a walkout of her high school to protest segregation.
Yes, 1951, before Rosa Parks and before MLK, Jr. embraced nonviolence as the way to equality.
She and her classmates . . .
2/
Yes, 1951, before Rosa Parks and before MLK, Jr. embraced nonviolence as the way to equality.
She and her classmates . . .
2/
. . . became plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court case that desegregated the schools.
It's often said that the modern civil rights movement kicked off with the decision in Brown v Board.
In a very real sense, it all began in 1951 . . .
3/
It's often said that the modern civil rights movement kicked off with the decision in Brown v Board.
In a very real sense, it all began in 1951 . . .
3/
. . . in Farmville, Virginia, under the leadership of a 16 year old girl.
I talk about why she was overlooked (triple invisibility: Black, poor, and a girl. Also, a child.)
I talk about why she was overlooked (triple invisibility: Black, poor, and a girl. Also, a child.)
